


Saudade Dance

by say_im_good



Category: VIXX
Genre: Conditioning, M/M, Psychological Drama, Stockholm Syndrome, does NOT encourage/romanticize the situation, kidnap au, noncon, obsessive hongbin, stalker au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-24
Updated: 2018-04-16
Packaged: 2018-11-04 07:57:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 27
Words: 60,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10986738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/say_im_good/pseuds/say_im_good
Summary: Stricken by a vengeful loneliness, Lee Hongbin stumbles upon the online profile of a boy around his age, Cha Hakyeon. He falls in love with this boy's beauty and talents from a distance, becoming so obsessed that he decides with full certainty that he's going to make Hakyeon his and only his.





	1. Obsession (Hongbin)

He was beautiful. Everything about him was, from his hair that he never kept dyed one color for too long to his eyes which sparkled with determination and poster-worthy confidence. His teeth were straight and pearly white when the photo screencapped him fully smiling, a shot taken by his friend that he probably would have never posted unless they did it for him. When Hongbin heard that gorgeous laugh for the first time in the ten second video he replayed it a hundred, no a thousand times, comparing how it sounded in his ears to how he had imagined it. Beautiful. Warm like the sun and contagious enough to make him beam from across the country. His body was lithe and his skin was a golden caramel color that Hongbin was sure was supposed to be reserved for trophies, but then again, that was what he was. A trophy himself, displaying his endless array of talents on a pedestal.  
   
Dancing. There were countless videos on both his public and private youtube channel. It was insane how he could transition from contemporary to hip hop, from ballet to jazz, all so smoothly that you didn’t notice the change until it smacked you in the face with the tempo of the music picking up or slowing down. He was graceful, his lean arms swaying like ribbons, his legs sending him into the air for so long that Hongbin sometimes wondered if he were flying or on strings, but he never was. There wasn’t an ounce of fat on his stomach, which Hongbin had screencapped multiple times when his shirt rode up mid-dance, but his hips were defined and elegant, the round of his ass bold and so malleable-looking that Hongbin wanted to reach through the screen and squeeze it. His style of dress was modest but there was always those hints of flirtatious undertone. The tops being too baggy so the wide neck would slip down his shoulder when he didn’t constantly readjust it, the pants being so tight that they showed every curve, every flex… It was impossible to not be entranced when so much was hidden and yet, to the scavenging eye, so much was exposed.  
   
Singing. Damn, the boy could sing. He had a faint accent that was almost impossible to hear if you weren’t spending all day every day listening to him speak over skype calls with the ‘strangers’ he played online games with at three in the morning, his time. Hongbin had fifteen accounts for each game, posing as fifteen different people, all having various reasons to not use the mic or camera. And when he thought everyone was away, Hongbin would sit there with his mic muted and listen to that soft voice ringing through his heart like wind to a bell. His singing displayed the lesser known side of him, the side that Hongbin prided himself in being familiar with. The self-consciousness, the uncertainty, the anxiety. What he would give to be able to kiss away the boy’s fear the moment it appeared in his mind, because, yes, Hongbin was sure that they were close enough to connect telepathically to each other.  
   
There was so much more, too. Art: he made candles that were beautiful shades of orange and purple, and Hongbin imagined that they smelled almost as good as their creator. Editing: he had a side-job under a different username to help touch up other youtuber’s videos. As a video-maker he wasn’t as popular as he could be, but on instagram he was a shining star.  
   
But out of the two thousand, five hundred, and twenty-one people who followed him, Hongbin loved him the most. He had an alarm on his phone set to chime every time the boy commented on something, replied to a message, or posted a picture. Sometimes he’d even call the other male’s phone number just to hear him pick up, repeat ‘hello?’ in confusion a few times, then hang up in assumption that it was an accidental dial.  
   
Saying that he was obsessed with Cha Hakyeon was an understatement, and he knew it and thrived in the pride that living for his online love permitted him to have.  
   
It started a full year prior when Hongbin was just randomly scrolling through instagram profiles, looking for old high school friends to add since they had all just graduated and he figured that if he didn’t keep in touch he could at least see what they were up to from time to time. He stumbled upon a random profile with some typical male anime character as the profile picture and almost didn’t even give it a second shot. But when he attempted to scroll to the side, he accidentally pressed too hard and didn’t swipe fast enough… and it clicked.  
   
The first picture he saw of Hakyeon was one of his favorites. His hair was a soft shade of blonde, though he later found that it was a wig (though he actually dyed it blonde around two months and four days ago. Hongbin was ecstatic). His chocolate eyes peered deep into the camera and he had a rather straight face, his tanned skin contrasting beautifully with his crisp white button-down. He scrolled… and he scrolled… and then he searched up the boy’s name on google… and then he scrolled… and he watched videos all night until the sun came up, anything that might even possibly feature this person who was so unbelievably beautiful. If anything, his obsession had only grown since then. 

Hakyeon was so perfect in every way, and Hongbin knew that if he was his… If he was his he could treat him so well. He could comfort him when he cried and cuddle him when he was lonely and when he was talking back Hongbin could scoop him up and dump him on the bed and show him just how to hold his tongue to get the most out of his ‘punishment.’ Damn, he had found such peace in laying in his bed with his eyes closed, picturing those smooth lips stroking him rather than his hand. 

See, the difference with Hongbin was that he was a dreamer. Any realist would say, ‘It’s not going to happen, move on.’ ...But he wasn’t a realist, and he wasn’t like most people, which was precisely why he’d be perfect for Hakyeon. Hakyeon wouldn’t admit it, but the boy was also a dreamer, and when two dreamers got together? The world would become a better place. With so many reasons to want the slightly older male, he found very few to compete for why he shouldn’t go after his goals.  
   
So with his bags packed for a month of living, a small warehouse rented out in the country around an hour from Hakyeon’s college (he was focusing on dance for a career), and a good amount of planning, Hongbin was ready. He’d never felt so motivated, so excited before. After months of planning, it was time to finally reach his goal… His flight left the next morning.


	2. Obsession (Hakyeon)

“I’m exhauuuusteddd…” he groaned as he slumped against the bench outside, the summer heat doing nothing for his already sweat-soaked body but the wind being a mild enough help to stay outside. “Seriously, if they want us to dance for so many hours they could at least fix the AC unit.” Sanghyuk laughed, plopping down beside his best friend. “Or we could just dance outside. The wind is nice, pluuus…” Hakyeon groaned as he already knew what his friend was about to say. “If we danced close enough to the fields maybe Taekwoonie-hyung might notice you~” 

“Shut up, Han Sanghyuk, or so help me I’ll make sure you never dance again,” Hakyeon mumbled, not sounding very threatening with his face buried in his palms, muffling his voice somewhat cutely. The younger male laughed unreasonably hard… It wasn’t THAT funny. In fact it wasn’t funny at all. It was a complete nightmare that Hakyeon’s friends had caught him staring at the athlete one too many times. He’d think that the ‘Taekwoon and Hakyeon sitting in a tree…’ song was for kindergarteners, but it was unbelievable the amount of times it was sung when they’d pass Jung Taekwoon in the hallways.   
   
It wasn’t like he liked him or anything! Hakyeon flushed at the thought. He always thought Taekwoon was cute, but he didn’t know enough about the guy’s personality to figure out if he actually liked him as a person or not. He didn’t get Sanghyuk and Wonshik’s logic that if someone’s attractive you immediately have a crush on them. It wasn’t like that at all. He wanted nothing to do with Taekwoon if Taekwoon turned out to be a complete asshole, but there was no way to tell when the guy never spoke ever unless he was arguing over a soccer match or discussing his swim-times with his fellow athletes.   
   
“Fine, fine, let’s talk about something that’s NOT tall and hunky and probably strong enough to pin you to the wall… Wait, Hakyeon, come back!!” 

This was how a normal day went for him. Wake up before even the sun opened its eyes, scarf down breakfast then go straight to school. Dance for hours upon hours, something he loved so much in a strange equilibrium of hating the constant lecturing and breathing for the actual moments when he could just dance without any care to what a certain move left unexplained would do to his grade. His time at school was usually divided 50 50 between the two, with miniscule gaps of getting to socialize with his friends. He’d head home with Sanghyuk and Wonshik usually a little after the sun set. They all shared a small apartment together, the one bedroom shared by all three of them while the second bedroom was made into a recording studio. While Hakyeon didn’t really pay too much attention to streaming games, Wonshik and Sanghyuk took it as seriously as they would a full-time career, which meant that high tech recording equipment was almost always available.   
   
Instead of bandwagoning with his roommates though, Hakyeon preferred to stick it to dancing. He did have a youtube channel where he’d post some of his choreography, some covers he did of the songs he enjoyed, etc. However if he had to fall into any stereotype, it’d be the one that always had their phone in their hand. He had somehow gained popularity over the internet, at least on his instagram, for who knew what, but he enjoyed posting about his daily life. A prettier breakfast than normal? Picture. Hair cooperating that morning? Picture. Friends having a fun time? Picture. He tried to document his life through instagram with the intention of one day being able to look back at it and say ‘wow, I remember that.’ He also really didn’t mind the friends he made while on the app themselves.  
   
After messing around on his phone for a bit he’d eat dinner and go straight to bed for another cycle of the same events. Things were repetitive, but he really didn’t mind that. It was a comfortable cycle, something that was set up so he could expect what was to come of the next day and prepare for it before it even happened.   
   
Things were going well just how they were. 

Him and Sanghyuk split up, the younger male going to the house to crash while the older was craving mochi, a nice ball of complete unhealthiness for him to splurge on as a reward for having worked so hard that day. Class had run late, and by the time he walked the thirty-or-so minutes downtown, the setting sun had already laid its head to rest. Hakyeon smiled up at the twinkling stars and the crescent moon… He always found something about stars to be comforting, like little light guardians watching over him in the unnerving darkness.   
   
The city was boisterous as usual, the shopping street he was currently strolling down scattered with people peeking through windows and lugging stuffed, bulging, plastic store bags around with them. A little girl jumped up and down as she tugged her father’s sleeve, pointing up at a teddy bear twice her size that was displayed in a toy store’s window. Hakyeon smiled at her enthusiasm. Sometimes he related really closely to kids, just with a little more self control. Hakyeon found himself wanting to glance around at all of the stores, but it was around nine oclock now and the shops would be closing between thirty minutes and an hour from then. With a determined motive to not get distracted, the dancer marched into the grocery market, hurrying straight to the isle he memorized had the green tea mochi that he adored.  
   
A hand grabbed the package right as his did… the last box on the shelf. Hakyeon sighed a little and let go of the box. He wasn’t a jerk, always doing his best to be selfless and kind to others, even if that meant giving up the mochi he had been looking forward to. But right as he was about to sulk out of the store, stuffing his small wad of cash back into his hoodie’s pocket, a very familiar, soft voice stopped him.   
   
“You’re… Cha Hakyeon, right?” 

Taekwoon. It was Taekwoon. Hakyeon slowly spun around, frozen stiff like a deer in headlights as he stared up at the slightly younger male in shock, fear, and a mild attempt at a polite smile, all merging together into a mess of an expression. Taekwoon wasn’t the type to smile, but he wasn’t scowling, and Hakyeon could tell at least from the surface that Taekwoon didn’t seem to have any bad opinion of him… It didn’t make him any less terrified to speak to the boy he had just been praising to his best friends. Still, Taekwoon was waiting for him to respond…

“Yep, that’s me,” Hakyeon said softly, smiling kindly and tilting his head a little to the side. “And you’re Jung Taekwoon?” The other male nodded and Hakyeon smiled brighter. “I’ve seen you play soccer from the window of our dance hall, you’re really good! I’ve heard you were the best player on the team.” Hakyeon chuckled a little when Taekwoon’s cheeks heated up and he rubbed the back of his neck. “Not really…” the athlete mumbled. “But thank you… So you’re a dancer? What style do you do?” Hakyeon smiled and rocked a bit on his feet, finding it rather comforting to be having a conversation with someone he had wanted to talk to for so long in such a random place as a grocery store. “I do pretty much every style, though if I have a choice I choose contemporary.” Taekwoon nodded again and Hakyeon found his chest fluttering a little. He didn’t seem like a rude person at all. 

They stood there in silence for a moment before suddenly the taller male held out the box of mochi that was hanging from his hand the whole time. “Here, you grabbed it first.” Hakyeon quickly shook his head in denial. “No no no, it’s okay. I have some at home and I really shouldn’t be pushing my diet with the tournaments coming up and all.” Taekwoon waited for him to change his mind, a good few seconds, before shrugging softly and dropping the box of frozen treats into his basket. “Alright. I’ll buy you some when they restock and share it with you, how about that?” Hakyeon blushed and begged that Taekwoon wasn’t able to see it. “Sure, I’d like that,” he replied shyly. Suddenly an announcement came on the PDA. ‘The store will be closing in ten minutes. All customers please head to the check-out line.’ Hakyeon sighed softly, half in relief that he wouldn’t be in such an awkward situation anymore and half disappointed that he wouldn’t be able to keep talking to Taekwoon. “Well, I won’t keep you. Have a good night, Taekwoon. Stay safe on your way back home!” The taller male gave a faint smile. “You too, Hakyeon. You stay safe as well.”  
   
He walked out of the store with a broad smile on his face, not even caring that he didn’t get mochi. Jung Taekwoon talked to him! And he was actually nice! And he offered to share mochi with him, which indicated that they’d talk again! Hakyeon couldn’t wait for the next few days where he could watch the athlete train and play without feeling like a creeper anymore for never speaking to him. He’d go home, rest up, try his best not to tell Sanghyuk or Wonshik about meeting Taekwoon at the store and probably do it anyway, and the cycle would repeat.   
   
Except… around ten minutes into walking back, Hakyeon gained a sense of unease in the pit of his stomach. Sure, the path he was on right now didn’t have any streetlights, but he walked this way a countless number of times as it made the hour long walk take about half as long to traverse. Normally he felt fine though… Maybe it was because he was normally wearing headphones and he had left them at home on accident today? It didn’t matter, he’d be back soon.   
   
Or so he thought… His subconscious warned him to look behind him, an impulsive need to spin around, and when he did his eyes went wide… because there was a man around his age standing not ten feet away, staring straight at him, not even walking. ‘Relax, Hakyeon, maybe he’s just trying to pass you. Maybe you’re blocking the path…’ but he moved aside and the man stayed put, hands in his pockets. The stranger’s hood was casting a heavy shadow over his eyes so Hakyeon couldn’t even make out his face in the darkness. It was really unnerving.   
   
“Um… are you trying to pass me?” He asked cautiously. This seemed to snap the man out of his daze. “Oh, sorry! I was kind of zoned out.” Hakyeon sighed in relief. This guy, whoever he was, had terrified him half to death. “It’s fine,” the slightly shorter male replied before continuing walking, listening to the gravel crack behind him. The man was walking now… but very slowly. Was he messing with his phone while he walked? 

Hakyeon spun around again, suddenly getting the overwhelming sense of unease once more. Alright, all he’d need to do was bend down to ‘tie his shoelaces.’ If the man kept walking then obviously he wasn’t actually following him. That was it. So Hakyeon dropped to one knee, fumbling with the strings of his loosely tied black combat boots, pretending like he didn’t know there was a zipper to take them off and that the strings were for decoration purposes. The man kept walking, kept walking… he held his breath… then…   
   
The man stopped. Hakyeon quickly straightened up, reaching discretely behind him. He always kept a small pocket knife in his back pocket, it was common sense to always carry one when someone walked home every night in the city. “Why are you following me?” He tried to sound calm. Maybe it really was a misunderstanding. But the man slowly smiled, a bright, almost too-friendly grin from under the hood. “Aah, Hakyeon-ah, you caught on so fast. You really are pretty clever.” This had him almost frozen from shock. The man… this stranger… knew his name..? “How do you know me?” he asked, voice trembling slightly, his fingers fully dipping into his pocket… empty. What?! His knife was just there when he left the store, he had checked like he always did after leaving a building, so…?!

“Looking for this?” The man’s voice was almost playful as Hakyeon glanced back up to see him wiggling a small black pocket knife loosely in between his forefinger and thumb. “You’re clever for sure, but you have too much faith in strangers, Hakyeonnie. Bad people could hang around here, you have to be more observant of your surroundings or things like this’ll happen.” Now he was panicked. With his weapon taken somehow and this man knowing his name, he wasn’t going to hang around. He’d run, get to a hiding spot, call Wonshik or Sanghyuk. But was this man planning on killing him?! Robbing him?! “I… I dont have anything for you to take,” he negotiated, slowly stepping back in hopes that the stranger wouldn’t notice his careful steps in preparation to dart away. The man chuckled and stepped forward twice with every step Hakyeon took backwards. “Ah, that’s where you’re wrong, sweetie. There’s quite a bit I’ve been wanting from you for quite a long time.” 

And with that he spun and ran as fast as he could. He refused to look back to see if he was being caught up with, all he could focus on was getting to the light, to a street with cameras so that if this man killed him he could be apprehended, something…!! But as fast as he could wasn’t fast enough. Unbelievably strong arms were curling around him, pinning his upper arms to his chest and lifting him off the ground. He struggled and kicked, shouting to be let go, to not kill him, but it did nothing until a well aimed kick to the man’s crotch had him released and running again… but only for a few seconds before he was grabbed much more roughly and thrown down on the ground, the stranger sitting on his chest so he couldn’t get out no matter how he struggled. “Jeez… That hurt like a bitch, Yeonnie! You’re going to get punished for that later. Aghh…” Tears were stinging his eyes and he’d do anything, anything… Hakyeon’s palm scraped over a rock about the size of a soda can near his waist and in his desperate state of mind, he went for it, swinging straight for the guy’s temple...  
   
...only for his wrist to be grabbed tightly… and twisted with a jolt. Hakyeon screamed in pain as he felt his wrist dislocate, the rock falling with a plop back onto the ground beside him. The man was obviously getting irritated with Hakyeon’s struggling, sighing and muttering, “I really hoped I wouldn’t have to damage your pretty skin so soon…” before tightly curling both hands around Hakyeon’s neck. 

He struggled, he clawed at the hands cutting off his breath, but even though the scratch marks from Hakyeon’s nails were making the stranger bleed, he wasn’t letting up even a little. If anything he was getting more determined from the fight. He couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t breathe..! His lungs felt like they were shrivelling and about to explode at the same time and he wanted to beg for it to stop but he couldn’t speak, breathlessly gasping for air, as his vision started to form spots and blur. He felt the strength leaving his arms, heard the man saying ‘Good boy, that’s it, just fall asleep now…’ but couldn’t do anything about it. His vision fully faded with the last image in his view being the hooded face of the man who had assaulted him.


	3. Home (Hongbin)

He was even more beautiful in real life. His hooded eyelids, the way his limp form was so light in Hongbin’s arms. His skin was so soft, so smooth, and Hongbin was pleased to see once he got into the light of his car’s headlights that the flawless tan skin truly wasn’t the work of a filter but entirely natural. Hongbin smiled and laid the ‘sleeping’ male down in the backseat of his car, taking his time to stroke down the currently black bangs that were tousled from the struggle. He found it cute, Hakyeon’s eyes going wide like a puppy’s when he realized that he was being followed, how he STILL tried to be polite just in case he was just assuming things. Hongbin smiled as he leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to the corner of naturally blushed lips that were slightly parted to catch the air that Hakyeon was lacking when he fell unconscious. The way his chest slowly rose and fell, the way he’d groan maybe once every three minutes as if he were having a nightmare, the way his hoodie had slightly ridden up his stomach to show a peek of a flat and flawless tummy…. Hongbin couldn’t wait to explore his new prize, the person he had been dreaming of having since the day he had first seen him, but it would have to wait until he got to the warehouse.

 

It was an hour drive, and he had to stop after twenty minutes in a closed parking lot once Hakyeon began to stir more frequently. It wouldn’t go well if the boy woke up before Hongbin could explain what was going on. He was probably horribly confused. He made sure no one was around before preparing a syringe with a moderately strong sedative, finding a good vein rather easily, and slowly dispensing it into the bloodstream. Once he was sure the other was completely still for at least three minutes but still breathing fine, he got back in the driver’s seat and continued towards their destination. 

 

Forty minutes passed and they had finally arrived. The area surrounding was mostly forest or abandoned farmland, the nearest grocery store or gas station being ten miles out. No one ever came down the road since it led to a dead end… It would be perfect for their temporary home. 

 

Hongbin lifted the smaller male out of the backseat once he had parked the car inconspicuously behind a group of trees. It was a small walk to the house, but he didn’t mind going the distance as he had a nice view right in his arms. Hongbin figured he’d be disappointed to see any damage to Hakyeon’s beautiful body so soon, but the purple bruises forming almost perfectly in handprints around the dancer’s neck actually made the slightly younger male smile. Not only was it pretty in its own special way, but those were also HIS handprints. His first step to claiming the trophy in his arms all for himself. 

 

The warehouse was plain, but had cost quite a bit of money. The outside looked like it was made of rough wood, a creaky old tin ceiling seeming almost like it was about to collapse in on itself. The door hinges creaked as if they hadn’t been bothered in years and the glass of the windows were dirty and cracked. 

 

The inside wasn’t much of a sight to behold either, at first. A broken bed frame in the corner, a small antique tea table with some dusty old chairs surrounding it. The floorboards creaked under his feet as he carried Hakyeon softly, not wanting to wake him. There was a rather plain rug spread out over the old wooden floors, a rug that no one in their right mind would want to touch in fear of mites. But Hongbin knew better, lifting the corner of the rug and folding it over with the toe of his shoe, his hands being rather full.

 

The trap door blended in with the floor, but it opened easily and without making a peep. It was difficult to carry the completely unconscious male down the ladder, but Hongbin managed, releasing a deep, content sigh as they finally arrived at their real new home. 

 

It was cozy, a soft beige wallpaper complementing the hardwood floors. There was a sofa as well as an armchair with a large flatscreen tv mounted on the wall before them. In the corner was a small kitchen, a state-of-the-art fridge and stove shining sleekly under the light of the tiny chandelier that hung over the two-person dining table. Everything was neatly furnished, with untouched candles and brand new lamps, a doormat even placed neatly under the metal ladder. In the far corner, directly across the room from the ladder, was a set of stairs going even further down. In there was where the fun was. Crimson walls made a romantic setting for the king-sized bed that overpowered the room. The black sheets and ruby comforter looked soft to the touch… Hongbin smiled as he imagined Hakyeon biting into one of the smaller, more decorative pillows to keep quiet. Off to the side of the room was a large bathroom with a bathtub that could easily seat two as well as a walk-in shower and two roomy closets. And on the other wall… 

 

Hongbin smiled even brighter, if that was possible. He was worried that the builders wouldn’t meet his specifications with these rooms, but they seemed perfect from the doorway. Both were entirely soundproof, but it was easier to see that they were different from the others by how the doors were made of thick metal with double locks under each handle. Hongbin felt like he was living his wildest dream. This was truly everything he had ever wanted. 

 

He placed Hakyeon on the bed, tucking him under the blankets and stroking his cheek as he couldn’t get over just how cute the sleeping dancer was, curling up into the comfort of the sheets. Then he went to explore himself. 

 

The first metal door was a cell. On the door was a small, barred window with a sliding shutter to block to view if so wanted. The room was around eight by eight feet in area, around the size of a decently large closet. There were two metal loops built into the concrete on the wall and some thick chains and cuffs already prepared nearby. The room right next door was much bigger… and full of fun toys. A chair with cuffs covering it in the corner, metal loops in the ceiling as well as on the walls. There was a toolbox full of supplies Hongbin had ordered months ago in the far corner, shiny and new. A table lay in the center of the room, and even with these things there was still quite a bit more space for more toys to be added in. 

The younger man sighed contently as he locked up the two metal-doored rooms and turned back towards the large bed, where Hakyeon was still sleeping peacefully. He wanted so badly to cuddle up under those blankets with him, to bask in his achievement… but Hongbin knew better. Hakyeon, as perfect as he was, wasn’t ready for this situation when he was thrust into it, meaning he was highly likely to be in a volatile mood when he woke up. Just a little more patience… Until then, he’d have to take precautions. He stroked that soft hair one last time before getting to work touching up on their new home.


	4. Home (Hakyeon)

It was so cold… Whatever was pressing against his chest was unbelievably soft, and it helped having the weight of what he assumed was a blanket over him, but still his exposed shoulders to the stagnant air left him slightly trembling. The cold was what initially woke him up. The fact that his memories had begun to float back into his head was what kept him from just falling back asleep. 

 

He had been walking home, a man was there, he tried to grab him and when Hakyeon struggled… His hand slowly, carefully reached up to gingerly stroke his neck and it flinched away the moment it made contact with the bruised skin. So it all really had happened… The man had choked him until he passed out. Hakyeon had assumed then that he would be robbed and killed, but he was still alive… and where was he? 

 

The walls were red like blood, the bed frame and sheets black. These weren’t the colors he felt comfortable waking up around after being strangled to unconsciousness. His mind was still hazy for some reason but he tried his best to work out what was happening, if this area was familiar at all. Two metal doors in the far corner, a bathroom closer to the bed he was in… and no one was in sight. That was a mild relief, but it was also kind of scary in and of itself… Wherever this was, there was a high chance that it wasn’t good. 

 

He crawled out of the bed, minding his wrist which he didn’t remember was sprained until he put all of his weight on it accidentally. Hakyeon tested his legs, whether they’d be able to hold his weight. It wouldn’t help to move if he couldn’t stand, but it looked like he’d be able to. His head spun when he stood, and once the blankets fell and the cool air hit his chest he realized he was completely naked besides a pair of tight black shorts that weren’t his and resembled dancer shorts more than anything. He felt unbelievably exposed, his memory jumping back to that man, then clicking the dots together… A man had kidnapped him… he woke up naked in a bed… Had he been raped..?! Hakyeon started to panic before the more logical part of his mind began to kick in. No, if he had been raped he would’ve felt a lot more pain in… that area. There were no bodily fluids around him or anything, and the blankets looked neat when he woke up… He sighed in relief but still felt uneasy. Who wouldn’t in this situation?

Hakyeon took a shaky step forward, then another. His legs were working fine, at least. Maybe he could sneak out while that man was seemingly away. One more step, he just had to be quiet and beg that whatever was jingling together would stop drawing attention in his direction. It didn’t even pop into his head that the thing that might’ve been jingling was coming from his motions themselves. Suddenly something jerked on his left ankle. He didn’t expect this, already midway through raising the right foot, so Hakyeon found himself slamming down on the floor in an ungraceful and very loud act of clumsiness. The dancer cursed as he glanced to his left ankle to see a rather tight cuff fitted around it, looped to a chain that was twisted around the bed frame’s intricately designed footboard and locked in its own loop with a tiny padlock. He was pretty flexible, if there was any way of squeezing his way past the damned cuff he would’ve gone for it, but the metal was so tight it was leaving small indents into his skin. He truly was trapped here…

 

Suddenly someone came down a small staircase leading up to who knew where. It was an extremely handsome man around Hakyeon’s age, brown hair combed to the side and dark eyes radiating warmth. He wore a white button-down shirt and black sweatpants that really shouldn’t have matched but flattered him together. His smile when he saw Hakyeon awake was like the sun as well. Hakyeon probably would’ve wanted to be friends with this person… but a hood wasn’t enough to hide a face. The last thing he remembered when he passed out was a chiseled jaw and pearly white teeth… which was exactly what was before him. The dancer narrowed his eyes, gritting his teeth and trying to seem intimidating in some way. “Whoever you are, you’ve seriously fucked up. My dad’s a police officer, he’ll be coming for your ass and you’ll go to jail for more years than you’ve been alive.” 

 

He figured a bad guy would find those words threatening, but his own guard was dropped as the man simply chuckled. “You’re so cute, Yeonie. You and I both know that your father passed away six years ago in a car accident. Don’t try to pull your mom’s name out of your ass either, she’s the owner of six corporate businesses in Japan, which might’ve been resourceful to your argument if you hadn’t run away from home three years ago and told her that you’d never come back. She already has no clue where you are, a little change like this won’t be any different.” 

Hakyeon was trembling slightly, and this time it wasn’t just from the cold. “How do you know so much about me? Do you stalk me? Why?! I’m not an idol or famous or rich or…” The man stepped forward quickly, kneeling down and taking his chin between his fingers, angling Hakyeon’s head up to look him in the eyes. “Ah, but you’re very interesting and very, very beautiful. Idols are all the same and rich people are snobs. You though? You’re absolutely perfect.” Normally when being complimented he got shy, he felt grateful and overwhelmed with happiness. Right now though he just felt disgust, jerking his chin from the man’s hand and quickly trying to bite his fingers, being too slow. The man swatted him on the nose hard enough for it to sting before standing up again, Hakyeon crawling back into the corner between the wall and the bed. “Shall I tell you a story, Yeonie? It’s a fairy tale, but it’s still being written.” Despite the other male staring up at him with terrified eyes and refusing to respond, the man continued as if encouraged to.

 

“Once upon a time, there was a rich man. He got a ton of money from his wealthy family and was destined for a great life. But then tragedy struck when his mother and father both died in a coincidental house fire. The man was supposed gain everything from the will, the estate, all of the money, everything.” The man began pacing, Hakyeon not knowing what to do so he brought his knees to his chest and hugged them close. “It turned out, though, that his younger brother had found the will and made changes to it without his parents knowing. It said that the man was disowned from the family and that his brother obtained everything.” 

“Fame, fortune, all gone just like that. A perfect life with no worries. The man was furious, so in the middle of the night he hired an assassin to kill his brother and took anything valuable from his home, selling it for his own profit. Now the man had no family, but he didn’t care because he got the fortune he had been promised.” His kidnapper paused, seeming to contemplate something before continuing. “But it gets lonely, having so much money and no one to spend it on but yourself. The man realized this, but there wasn’t much he could do. All of his high school friends had moved on without him, expecting him to do just fine on his own. He fell into depression. But one day…” The brunette man smiled towards Hakyeon, making the shorter male glare him down, not understanding where this story was going at all. “One day, the man was searching social media and accidentally stumbled upon an account. This account was of a truly amazing person, beautiful and talented, loved by all and yet experienced by none. The man fell in love at first sight with this person, lived his life to learn about this person so he could someday make them the one person in his life, the one person that he would take care of and love.” Suddenly, Hakyeon realized with a sick feeling in his gut, he realized where this story was going. The man seemed to realize this and smirked a bit, continuing to his conclusion.

 

“So the man planned and planned, willing to do anything to have this person be his and only his. His lover who he pampers and pleasures, his pet who comforts him when he’s down, even his friend when he needs someone to talk to… This person was capable of being it all… I assume you can tell me who plays which role?” He was really sure he was going to be sick now. This guy… this guy had stalked him online and found out all of this?! He didn’t even post more than pictures, never any personal information, not where he lived, especially not anything related to his family! He kidnaps him and then expects him to act calm and friendly?!

“Let me go,” Hakyeon muttered slowly, very quietly. 

 

“Ah, but you see, I can’t do that. You’ll just go and tell the police on me and I’ll get nothing out of this tedious experience.”

“Let me go..!” His voice was trembling a little, he felt his eyes begin to water. This was crazy, this man was insane. 

 

“Why? Don’t you think I deserve some sort of reward for all of this? I built this house just for you, everything for you, Hakyeon.”

“Let me go!!” He was shouting now, a tear finally streaking down his face, then another as he started to frantically pull at the chain keeping him locked to the bed to no avail. The man grit his teeth, obviously getting irritated with how the dancer wasn’t listening to a word he said.

 

“If you just listened…”

“Why the fuck would I listen to you?!?!” 

Smack.  
Hakyeon felt a sharp sting across his face, not even realizing that his head had shot to the side until he noticed that he was now looking to the left at the leg of the bed and not at the man standing directly in front of him, crouching slightly. His cheek stung vividly and he was frozen there for a few seconds in plain shock. The man’s eyes were narrowed, his hand slowly lowering. If the man’s palm was that red, Hakyeon was scared to see how red the side of his face was. Another tear streaked down the stinging portion of skin on his cheek. It burned a little as it slid past. 

 

“That’s strike one, Yeon. First of all, don’t you EVER cuss at me again. I’m the one feeding you from now on, so I expect an amount of respect. Second, you have two more strikes until your punishment gets severely worse. Think about what you’ve done. You don’t eat until you apologize.” With that, the man stormed out of the room and up the staircase that Hakyeon couldn’t reach. 

He felt like he was hyperventilating. Just last night he had been saying bye to Sanghyuk after school, just a little later he had bumped into Taekwoon at the store. Things had been so normal, so calm, so comfortable, so repetitive, everything had been fine so what was going on…?! Was this a nightmare?! He wanted to believe that he’d just wake up and be back at home, but his cheek still stung, he still felt the bruises on his neck shift when he turned his head… Hakyeon curled up, tucked his head into his arms and began to fully sob.


	5. Thoughts (Hongbin and Hakyeon)

He shouldn’t have slapped him. Here he was trying to make Hakyeon feel comfortable and the first thing he does is hit him… Hongbin sighed as he curled under a blanket on the couch, able to hear the dancer’s cries as there was no door between the living room and the bedroom, only a short staircase. He felt guilty, but what could he do about it? Taking back a punishment was the quickest way to show that you weren’t serious, and if he wanted to teach Hakyeon properly then he’d have to be consistent. Hongbin rubbed his eyes, already somewhat exhausted, just wishing Hakyeon was fine with him so he could cuddle the smaller male and fall asleep. Hard work would lead to a nice payoff but right now it was just uncomfortable, knowing that he had already reacted too harshly. It didn’t matter.   
   
He didn’t have any clocks on the wall; He didn’t want Hakyeon being able to tell the time just yet, the disorientation good for him. When someone is disoriented they generally cling to the only stable thing within sight. The best way to train someone is to put them in a harsh situation and be their comfort and their rulebook all in one. He wanted to make things feel as far from Hakyeon’s previous world as possible. However Hongbin did have a wristwatch for various matters requiring punctuality, a wristwatch that currently read out 4:05 am. He hadn’t slept all night and he WAS pretty tired… Sighing one last time, Hongbin curled up under the soft blanket and allowed himself to drift into sleep, dreaming of a Hakyeon that loved Hongbin just as much as Hongbin loved him. 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   
It had been hours, it couldn’t have been any shorter amount of time. He had drifted in and out of sleep four times, bawled his eyes out twice, and now he’d been laying here for at least three full hours just hoping that a wave of exhaustion would hit anytime now, that the adrenaline would just go away so he could try and sleep this nightmare off. There were no windows or clocks, no way to tell whether it was day or night, his internal clock being knocked off his usual sleep routine by being knocked out for a good few hours. 

Hakyeon hadn’t made an effort to move back to the bed, though the cold did get a bit overbearing so he did himself a favor and dragged the comforter down to the floor to cover himself. He never wore this little; even when swimming he usually had a sports top on. He felt stupid being self-conscious in a kidnapper’s home, but that was only one of the countless negative feelings surging through his body.   
   
He tried to comfort himself. Surely Sanghyuk and Wonshik would notice he didn’t come home. It was common of him to nap at school and end up sleeping away the whole night, but if he could just endure another day or two they’d notice and put out a search for him. Another day or two… Just a few hours felt like eternity, and that was a few hours alone. Who knew what this man would make him do or what this man would do if he didn’t comply. So much for comforting himself. He thought he had run out of tears already, but there they were, making his face wet and a little sticky when they dried.   
   
Then he got to thinking of what he might’ve done wrong to end up in this situation. Walking home alone at night was one thing, but it was only nine oclock and he had a knife and the walk wasn’t THAT long… He’d never had a problem when walking back before and his town was a safe one… He never even considered after the first few nights of his commute that something bad could happen to him. And he didn’t overexpose himself on the internet… Sure he helped some friends edit some things and he did use instagram a lot, but there were millions of people with instagrams far more popular than his, people who looked better than him, were more talented than him. The man had called him an ‘amazing person.’ He didn’t agree with that at all. How could someone be so obsessed over someone as… as normal as he was?

Probably a few more hours passed before Hakyeon finally managed to fall into some sort of restless sleep, cuddled under a flower-scented blanket on the hardwood floors of his kidnapper’s bedroom.


	6. Red Plaid (Hongbin)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double update, please read the previous chapter if you haven't yet.

It was five pm and Hongbin was bored. After checking on Hakyeon five times now to find the boy still asleep on the floor, he had said ‘fuck it’ and taken the fifteen mile drive to the mall to buy his new love some clothes. He liked how Hakyeon looked in the picture with the white button-down, so he bought one of those, but most of the clothes were either exposing or could be suggestive in some form of wear. Hakyeon would only be available to his eyes from now on, so he wanted to shine a light on that beautiful body. Anyway, after the dancer adjusted to his new life those clothes would be off most of the time anyway. He couldn’t wait for that, but for now he had to be patient and give the other male some time to transition.   
   
He walked out with a few more pairs of black dancer shorts (the shiny material stretched over those fine, rounded hips was already attractive), a red plaid but very thin jacket along with four others in different colors, and a few v-neck t-shirts. He had looked at Hakyeon long enough to know his size perfectly; He used to even go out and buy clothes, spraying them with the type of cologne the dancer wore just so he could admire the feel and scent before he got a taste at the actual person.  
   
He also splurged a bit. A brown cat ear headband with some fluff at the base and a matching buttplug with a long, puffy fox tail. He was sure Hakyeon would, at first, appreciate a belt more, but the authentic look would be cuter and the dancer would adjust. He also bought three different collars: a simple black one with a golden loop, a black one with the front half made of a golden chain, and a red and black one with a little more padding and thickness on the inside for comfort. Hakyeon had a beautifully long neck, and he wanted to compliment it as such. Plus the whole collar thing only helped establish dominance, something he’d have to do quite a bit at first.   
   
Even though it’d take some time for the boy to appreciate what was happening, Hongbin knew he’d fall in love with it. Hakyeon was self-conscious and Hongbin would be the perfect person to work that worry out of him with so much more praise than he had ever gotten from anyone else. Hakyeon had never known yet how amazing he could feel through sex of any sort, and Hongbin was there to show him that whole new world. Hakyeon had daily worries; being able to afford tuition and the apartment he shared, friend drama, overstressing himself with his dancing… Now he didn’t have to think about any of that. He barely had to think at all. Hongbin would make all of his choices for him, all he had to do was follow his submissive instinct and obey.   
   
When Hongbin got home and sorted all of his new items where they went and Hakyeon was STILL asleep, he decided it was time to just wake the boy up. He wanted to do it kindly though; Hakyeon had needed his rest after such an eventful night and being woken up too quickly from deep sleep wasn’t necessarily the most comfortable feeling. So he leaned over the boy, stroking his hair softly before leaning down and pressing a kiss to his neck nearer to his ear; he didn’t want to touch the bruises on accident and inflict any unintended pain. When Hakyeon wasn’t even stirring he went to something a little more dramatic. Hongbin ran his other hand up the tanned male’s chest, tweaking a nipple until he got a sleepy whine out of the dancer, making Hongbin smile. He had been a little worried that Hakyeon was physically asexual and that was why he hadn’t had sex. It was nice to watch the slight bulge in the tight dance shorts growing and straining against the material.   
   
Hakyeon’s eyes finally slowly flickered open when Hongbin experimentally squeezed the bulge, the boy’s face innocent and cute as he blinked slowly over and over, disoriented and confused and slightly aroused before realizing who was on top of him and what was happening and quickly putting all of his strength into trying to shove Hongbin off of him. Hakyeon was strong, but in the wrong ways. He was strong in the manner of being able to contort his body while dancing, not in the way that Hongbin was with lifting weights. He was lithe in comparison to Hongbin’s buff, which made it easy for the other to grab his wrists and pin them to the floor beside his head. Hakyeon whimpered a little as Hongbin squeezed and pressed on his sprained wrist too much, but the other didn’t let up. It was a show of dominance.   
   
Hongbin smiled softly, playing the act that he would from now on take as a sweet, caretaking lover. “Good morning, sweetie. How did you sleep?” With that Hakyeon was struggling again, wincing as his wrist probably screamed with pain but still putting all his strength into trying to get out. Hongbin sighed at this. He was like a trapped bird, slamming himself against the wall until he broke his bones trying to get out. He knew Hakyeon wasn’t truly this stupid, which meant that he was probably acting out of fear. He had to show the boy that he had no reason to be afraid unless he was asking for one.   
   
So Hongbin leaned down, whispering a quiet ‘shh’ before capturing the boy’s lips, only to have Hakyeon turning his head away as far as he could, cheek pressed against the floor. Damn he was stubborn. The stronger male dragged Hakyeon’s wrists together above his head so he could hold them with one hand before using the other to grab the boy’s chin and jerk his head back up, kissing him much more demandingly. Hakyeon’s lips were so soft and plush, warm and inviting, and the way Hongbin felt the unsteady breath from the dancer’s nose against his upper lip, the scared but strangely enticing whimpers from the boy’s firmly closed mouth… Hakyeon couldn’t understand right now how alluring he was being. 

When he wanted to, after a few moments of appreciating Hakyeon’s lips, Hongbin pulled back and continued smiling at the flustered person underneath him. Hakyeon was trembling slightly, but Hongbin forced himself to understand. He was probably still scared, it was always scary to have a change of environment and different people adjusted at different speeds. Maybe Hakyeon was just a little slow. He stood up, effectively releasing the dancer, who quickly sat up and backed as far away from Hongbin as he could before his bare back hit the bedside table behind him. 

“I went shopping while you were asleep. I bought you some nice clothes, along with some other presents. Maybe if you’re good you’ll get to see them soon.” A reward. You always wanted to offer a reward, as the trainee often didn’t see any reason to comply that wasn’t negative. Hongbin had done his research on how to influence power without making their relationship like a dictatorship and was just waiting for it to all pay off. Hakyeon stayed silent, staring up at him with those fearful eyes. While the fear was cute, he was kind of hoping he’d see an emotion from the other male other than fear, sadness, or anger. Again, patience. He’d see that beautiful smile eventually.   
   
He then noticed that Hakyeon was still curled up in the blanket. “Ah, you must be cold! I didn’t even think about it. It does get really cold down here. Here, I’ll get you one of your jackets. I have a few different styles, but unless you tell me otherwise I’m going to grab the red one, since that’s your favorite color.”   
   
Hongbin waited for a response but didn’t get one. “I’ll be right back then,” he smiled cheerfully before hurrying up the stairs to the large, ceiling-high dresser in the corner of the living room. The red jacket was pulled off it’s hanger, the tags already ripped off of the clothes, but Hongbin stared into the dresser in thought before reaching in and grabbing the simple black collar. He held it in his hands in thought for a while. Hakyeon would need to get used to wearing one soon, since after some time he’d have one on at all hours of the day, but Hongbin remembered the bright purpleish blue bruises on the boy’s neck and shook his head, placing the collar back on its shelf. He’d wait for those to heal a bit before putting constant pressure on them. He was considerate of his new lover’s comfort, after all.

When he entered the room again, Hakyeon was in the same position as when he left, and still in the same place in the corner between the bed and the wall. “You know your chain will reach to the bed if you want to get more comfortable,” Hongbin stated, but Hakyeon just stared at him wearily. Hongbin sighed, again reminding himself that things would change with time, before stepping forward to attempt to drape the jacket over the dancer’s bare shoulders. Hakyeon jerked away from him. “You know I’d never hurt you reasonlessly, baby, I just don’t want you to be cold,” the taller male said sadly, but the words meant nothing and he was getting frustrated. He threw the jacket down onto Hakyeon’s legs, growing even more irritated when the boy didn’t even reach to grab it, let alone put it on. “What, are you ignoring me now? Is that it? After all I’ve done to make you feel comfortable you have to be bratty to me?” Hongbin felt his fists trembling a little. No, stay calm. He didn’t want to hit Hakyeon again, it wouldn’t be productive. He took a deep breath as the dancer flinched a little at his raised voice. “That jacket better be on when I come back into this room,” he finally blurted out before turning and going back upstairs to destress with some tv.


	7. Red Plaid (Hakyeon)

The jacket was smooth on his shoulders, but the thin material didn’t do much at all to help with the problem of warmth. He didn’t want to listen, but the threatening tone in the man’s voice left him too scared to ignore it. He tried not to consider how the man must know his clothing size too, as the jacket fit perfectly to his slightly smaller form. 

More waiting. He was starting to not mind the waiting in comparison to the other thing, the man actually being there interacting with him. He had woken up to a hand palming his length and panicked, only to be restrained and forced into a kiss. The stranger’s breath smelled like mint, his lips were soft, and while Hakyeon was expecting an alcohol tinted scent and a little more force behind the kiss, he still felt no better about it. His first kiss… He always figured it would be with Taekwoon, wishful thinking, but thinking that was common for a boy with a crush. He tried not to consider that it was with his kidnapper. 

The man seemed easy to anger, and that was scary because he didn’t seem rational when he was angry. Sure, he never seemed rational, but the difference between forcing him to wear a jacket to help with the cold and hitting him was very much there. Was the man bipolar? He tried to shove that thought out of his head. It only made things scarier from what scenarios psychology student Sanghyuk told him about the disorder. He wondered if Sanghyuk would analyze this situation psychologically once they rescued Hakyeon. Probably, he never knew what was appropriate to say and what wasn’t. Normally things like that, tiny things that Sanghyuk said, would irritate him… But now he missed it terribly. He would sit through a lifetime of Sanghyuk’s garbage jokes and jabs if it were to see his best friend again and not be here, locked away who knew where alone with a stranger obsessed over him. 

What felt like half an hour later, the man was back, yawning as he shuffled down the stairs. He smiled brightly upon seeing Hakyeon wearing the jacket, buttoned up over his previously bare chest. He had a very nice smile, it was a shame that he was such an awful person. “You’re wearing it! Ah, you’re such a good boy, Yeonnie,” he cooed, making Hakyeon glare at his lap and bite his tongue to keep from saying something he’d regret. He tried to make himself feel better by picturing this man being pulled into a police car to spend the rest of his life in jail. It helped a little. 

The man approached him again and he couldn’t help but tense up as he kneeled down and reached out for Hakyeon’s jacket. “It really doesn’t need to be buttoned though. I want to see your pretty chest.” 

“Don’t touch me…” It was mumbled and quiet and instantly regretted, but the man heard it fully, his hand hesitating as he tilted his head a little, evidently confused with a fading smile indicating that he wasn’t happy with these words. “What’s wrong, Yeonnie? I’m only unbuttoning your jacket. Are you injured somewhere?” He then reached forward, popping the buttons out of their holes one by one as Hakyeon’s tanned chest slowly became more and more exposed and the cold air hit it lower and lower as he went down. “Please just leave me alone,” Hakyeon begged before the man tsked, finishing up with undoing the jacket and sighing. “I can’t do that. I did all of this to see you, I want to bask in my reward. I’m trying to respect your comfort levels but it’s getting difficult with how needy you’re turning out to be.” 

“How could you be so fine with kidnapping someone..?! If you can’t handle me then let me go! I… I swear I won’t even tell the police, I won’t tell anyone, please, just don’t do this anymore..!!” Hakyeon was tearing up again, and the man stared at him indifferently. “If you don’t attempt to appreciate it then you won’t realize how good I’m being to you, Hakyeon. Here you are getting free food, free comfort, anything you ask, and you’re begging to be released from it? I can’t do that. I’m selfish like that, I care too much about you to just give you up after working so hard to catch you. I apologize.” 

“You’re crazy!! If… if you want a fucking slave then you could just go out and find someone who’s into that! I’m not going to submit to you or whatever and I’m sure as hell never going to love you!!” He needed to learn to hold his tongue. Suddenly strong hands were curling around his throat again, making him yelp at the hard pressure put on his bruises as he was yanked forward, throwing his hands out to catch himself, leaving him on his hands and knees. The man’s eyes were dark and he didn’t relax his grip at all, his voice low and intimidating when he finally spoke. 

“Strike two. I told you to never fucking cuss at me and I was dead serious. I’m trying to be as nice to you as I can so get in your place and show me some respect. You’re right. I ‘kidnapped’ you, but it was for both of our sakes and you won’t ever realize that until you start being grateful. It was only a matter of time before SOMEONE grabbed a catch like you and you should be happy that it’s me instead of some creepy assholish weirdo!” The man grit his teeth, narrowing his eyes as he stared deeply and angrily into Hakyeon’s fearful gaze. “Furthermore, if you see this as slavery then you don’t know the least of what I COULD be doing, and if you’re not going to appreciate how good I am to you you might find that I can be far, FAR worse when I get angry. So let me get this straight right fucking now.

“You. Are. Mine. Now. And from now on you will always BE mine. You will never interact with another human being unless I introduce them to you, you will never leave this house until I decide you can. You won’t eat until you apologize for earlier and if you think starving yourself is a good way out don’t think I’m too sweet to shove something disgusting down your throat to keep you alive. As much as I think you’re pretty when you smile I also think you’re pretty when you’re bruised and crying. Do you know what’s behind those two metal doors, Hakyeon?” He didn’t respond, frozen in fear, speechless, but the man continued in his rant. “One room is an isolation chamber, the other is where you get punished if you don’t straighten up soon. Be glad I’m not dragging you in there right now for how much you’re pissing me off. I was prepared for you to be bratty and I’ll go to extreme measures to get you to someday love me and appreciate me as much as I love and appreciate you. 

“So let’s get some things straight. First, we are lovers, but I am always in charge. Therefore you will ALWAYS call me something along the lines of ‘master,’ ‘sir,’ even ‘daddy’ if you feel feisty, I don’t care. And no matter how much you try and deny this, I am good at breaking people. If you don’t go with the easy way, I’ll go for the hard way. Either way, someday you’ll be begging for me to fuck you, baby you, and never let you go. So get it together before I have to get nasty.” With that, the man stood, yanked Hakyeon onto the bed by the neck, and stormed out of the room.

He didn’t realize when he started crying until he couldn’t breathe through the sobs. He was scared, he was so fucking scared. He wanted to go home, he wanted to be with Sanghyuk and Wonshik watching dumb movies or studying or trying to make a budget for how they’d survive rent the next few months. He didn’t know how long it had been since he was taken, did they even know he was gone? Did they just think he was avoiding them or sleeping at school again? 

Suddenly his real world seemed like a fantasy, some wonderful dream that never actually happened. He just wanted to go back to that dream. Why was it like this? The man made it sound like he was expected to be some sex toy soon; he’d never even kissed before now, let alone had sex, so why was it him?! He was scared… Hakyeon cried into the pillow, trying not to be too loud. They’d find him, they’d save him, this man would be arrested… Why did it all sound too good to be true...?


	8. Comfort (Hongbin & Hakyeon)

“You probably scared him too bad.” The voice over the phone sounded calm and collected, a very different state from what Hongbin was in right now. “I KNOW that, Jaehwan, but it’s like… I’ve been dreaming about this for years and if he’d just be cooperative he’d realize how good it is…”

“But keep in mind that you did kidnap him and you DO have him chained up. While that might be a fetish to someone like us, he’s kind of… vanilla. Sure he’ll eventually come to enjoy those things, but for now he’s probably just terrified. So… yelling at him that he’ll get fucked and tortured and that he has no chance of ever living normally again is… kind of harsh.” Hongbin rubbed his temples. He was ‘outside,’ per se, ‘outside’ meaning the old worn-down shack that had the trapdoor that led to the actual house. The rocking chair he was sitting in was creaking under his weight, but he didn’t care. He needed to get out of the house for a while.

“Look, it’ll all still go okay. I bet within a month or so he’ll be crazy for you, you just… You just have to take it slow. And if he’s still a brat the next few times you talk to him, THEN you should take a more aggressive approach. For now, he’s scared, and the appropriate thing to do is comfort him. Maybe even let him out of the bedroom so he doesn’t feel so restrained. I don’t know, Hongbin, but yelling at him’s only going to make things worse.” His friend was right, but it didn’t make him feel any better. “But I just.. I get so mad and I don’t think, I just… act. And then by the time I’ve calmed down he’s crying again and I just feel like I’ve messed up again. He looks so scared when I walk in… Which I guess is fine, it’s a cute look on him, but I don’t want that to be there all the time.”

“Just trust me, okay? He knows what’ll happen if he doesn’t start behaving, so give him a chance to warm up to the situation.” Hongbin nodded, before realizing that his friend couldn’t see that over a phone call and muttering a soft, heartfelt ‘thanks.’ The call ended after an hour and a half of him ranting out his feelings to the only person in the world who wouldn’t think he was creepy for how he felt and acted over Hakyeon. Jaehwan himself had a crush on Hakyeon’s classmate Taekwoon, who appeared in multiple pictures and videos, just not something as… extreme as Hongbin’s love for Hakyeon. Either way, after talking for that long, he felt much better.

It had been three hours since he’d left Hakyeon in the bedroom, and while it was enough time for him to calm down, it probably wasn’t enough for the other to. He took a chance and carefully made his way back into the house and down the stairs to the bedroom, trying to make himself seem as calm and caring as possible.

Hakyeon was curled into the blankets, hugging a pillow to his chest, his face tucked into another pillow which Hongbin could see even from the entrance of the room was stained with tears. The boy’s chest was rising and falling sporadically, obviously indicating that he was still awake despite how he seemed to be faking sleep. Hongbin sighed, remembering Jaehwan’s words and keeping his distance despite wanting to go over there and cuddle with the beautiful male.

“Hakyeonnie… Are you okay?” He tried to sound comforting but didn’t receive an answer. “Hakyeonnie.. I’m sorry for yelling at you.” Still nothing. He took a deep breath in, then exhaled, before making his way to the footboard of the bed where the chain was locked on with a padlock. It was an advanced device, he didn’t want Hakyeon testing the combinations or finding a key, so he got a nine number digital lock. Hongbin punched in the combination, listening for the click before slipping the lock off the footboard and watching the chains slip out of their intricate maze, falling to the floor with a clatter.

\---------------------------

 

Hakyeon slowly looked up upon hearing the jangling and feeling the slight pull to his ankle, surprise evident on his face when he realized that the chain was no longer connected to the bed, but completely unattached to anything and curled up on the floor. Free… he was free… but he knew it wasn’t that simple. The man was standing in front of the bed, too close to the staircase up to wherever the exit must be. He doubted he could make it out without being grabbed, and he was too scared of what punishment might come if he tried.

“Here, why don’t you go take a bath? It might make you feel better. The tub is really big and fancy.” His kidnapper was talking as if he were a child, but he was too afraid to retort in any way. He wanted to hide, but there was nowhere to go. He wanted to disappear, but that wasn’t possible, and he knew that just sitting there or saying no wasn’t an option with this person. He slowly dragged himself out of the bed, testing his legs once more as he had been sitting for hours without even attempting to stand and the emotional trauma was making him feel physically weak. But he was capable. However… The bathroom was behind the man… and he didn’t want to draw any closer.

The stranger seemed to realize this, sighing slightly and backing towards the stairs to give Hakyeon access to the bathroom without having to draw too close. He seemed irritated but wasn’t saying anything, so before he could get more angry somehow, Hakyeon rushed through the open door of the bathroom, feeling the chain around his ankle drag behind him but just being glad that he could move around again.

It was nice. Soft blue walls, softer lights. There were no windows, but the light fixtures sent off a glow that reminded him of sunlight, which was far more comfortable than the deep red and black from the room before. The man was right, the tub WAS large, almost resembling a hot tub in size. The tile was cold on his bare feet, and he quickly made to standing on the bath rug in front of the shiny clean toilet which, in comparison, was much warmer.

The man entered the room, the light casting a nice glow over his finely featured face but his presence was enough to make Hakyeon tense again. However he still didn’t approach, walking towards the tub and turning the faucet on three-fourths of the way towards the red H that indicated hot water. The water sputtered out, the thudding echoing throughout the room as the man dug in the cabinets for a fluffy-looking white towel, a bottle of shampoo and conditioner, and a bar of soap. He left these things on the counter before smiling softly to Hakyeon. “Call for me when you’re done so I can give you some fresh clothes.” And with that, he left, closing the door behind him.

Hakyeon realized rather quickly that there was no handle on this side of the door, probably explaining why the man left him in there alone so simply. He couldn’t get out on his own, meaning he couldn’t attempt to escape. The dancer did a scan of the room. The air vents were too small to fit him, the ceiling was flat and without panels he could crawl through… Only once he firmly decided there was no way to sneak out of here did he actually allow himself to try and relax.

He turned off the water once the bath was almost full and reluctantly stripped off the jacket and tight shorts, about to step into the water when he caught movement beside him. Hakyeon jerked his head around, feeling adrenaline rushing up his spine… It was just his own movement in the mirror. Still, he was stricken still by his reflection.

His face was glossy from dried tears, his eyes pink from so little sleep and so much crying. His hair was rustled all over, and now that he actually got to see them, the bruises around his neck were bright and prominent. He could see the two handprints in purple surrounded by a slightly lime yellow tint circling his entire neck… He tried not to look at it anymore. Overall, he just looked exhausted, like he would after a full day of dancing but without the happiness in his eyes that dancing always seemed to bring to him. He wanted to dance again, he missed it… but his limbs felt so heavy, especially his left ankle with the cuff squeezing around it and the chain slithering behind like a snake, making a weird shuffling noise every time he moved.

Hakyeon decided that there wasn’t much he could do but get in the water before it got too cold, since he doubted that the man would let him out if his skin wasn’t clean and his hair wasn’t wet and he honestly wanted to be able to slightly relax right now. The warm water felt so nice on his tense muscles and he sighed softly, slipping deeper in until the water level was right above his lip and right below his nose. He wondered how bad drowning would feel if the water was this warm and comforting, but quickly dismissed it. He didn’t want to die, and there was no way this man could get away with keeping him here for much longer. He’d be saved and this would all be a bad memory. For now, he just had to push through it.

So he bathed. He took his time, then a little more, because it was so nice to sit in this warm water and get clean and move freely without having to worry about the man walking in and hurting him. He’d washed his hair three times, going over his arms with soap until they were white with lather for the fifth time, then drawing random squiggles in the white foam… but the water was starting to get cold, and he didn’t want to ruin the man’s good mood by taking too long.

The towel was warm and cushy on his skin, but not big enough to cover his entire body, leaving him shivering as he stepped out of the water and pulled the plug on the drain. He was freezing as he sat here, procrastinating calling for the man and just waiting to dry, his hair dripping freezing water down his back. Only after feeling dry enough did Hakyeon remember that he didn’t have any fresh clothes, that he’d have to call for the man to give him some and for that the man would have to come to him and see him naked and… He hadn’t felt the anxiety for a good twenty minutes. It was back again. It was also that he didn’t know this man’s name… The only title he knew was what he was told. ‘Master’... He wouldn’t say that. The words legitimately struggled to form in his mouth. It was too strange and out there and uncomfortable and… and he was getting cold as the towel was now soaked and providing even less warmth than the air around him was.

Hakyeon stood at the door, his voice shaky as he tried to raise it above a mutter. “H.. hey…” No reply. No noise. He repeated himself, a little louder. Nothing. The man had to hear him by now if he was even listening for him, but surely he was after probably an hour and a half of being locked in the bathroom… Finally he tried it, wanting to throw up as the word left his mouth. “M.. master..”

The door opened immediately. Hakyeon wasn’t prepared for that, but quickly glared the man down for practically forcing him to say something so lewd, not even remembering he was naked with how irritated he was until the man’s eyes were soaking in his body and the dancer was quickly attempting to slam the door shut in his face, it easily being caught and held open. “I always knew you were beautiful underneath those clothes, but damn.” He wanted to smack the man, but knew that it would probably lead to something horrible so he kept his fists tight at his sides, trying to keep from feeling uncomfortable as much as possible with this man openly eye-fucking his body.

After a few more moments, a small, folded pile of clothes was being handed over and he quickly grabbed it, waiting for the door to shut so he could change… It never did. The man just stood there, raising an eyebrow at Hakyeon’s hesitation. “Go on,” he said, as if it weren’t awkward to have a stranger, let alone a criminal, staring you down while you dressed. Again, he had no say in the matter.

Another pair of dance shorts, but this time with an oversized white tee. Hakyeon was silently grateful that at least he was now wearing something that covered him slightly, the shirt falling mid-thigh though the neckhole slipped off his shoulder no matter how he adjusted it. However there was still something in his hand when he glanced down… He wondered how ‘pretty’ the man would find him if he threw up on the floor.

A collar. A fucking collar. He’d think it was a dog collar if it wasn’t made of soft black leather but it had the same style, a small ring attached to the front with a silver tag dangling from it. He could read it easily since it only said one thing in a rather straightforward but professional font. ‘Hakyeon.’

“I’m not going to wear this,” he stated firmly, but the man didn’t seem to agree. “I’ll put it on for you if you don’t know how,” he said simply, earning a glare from the dancer but not reacting. “I’m… I’m not a dog.” Hakyeon felt genuinely insulted right now, which honestly didn’t make much sense since he was in a hostage situation and should just be grateful he wasn’t getting hurt right now. “You’re not a dog, but you’re my pet. Cats sometimes wear collars too, it’s not only dogs. Go ahead, Yeon, put it on.” The man’s voice sounded final, meaning that he’d probably get angry if Hakyeon pushed this argument too much further. He wondered if he could feel any more shameful, hooking this thing around his neck in front of the mirror with the man smiling brightly in the background. It was tight and pressed against his bruises uncomfortably, and he felt so… shameless when it was finally belted around his neck. The man seemed to appreciate it almost too much, his eyes suddenly holding a somewhat hungry look as he scanned Hakyeon’s back. The dancer pretended not to notice, turning around with his head fixed on the ground and his eyes narrowed.

“Wow, I knew it would look good on you. You have the perfect neck for collars, Yeonie, it’s like you were made to wear them.” He fought himself to keep his mouth shut. Both times he’d been yelled at it was because he had talked back. He could get through this until the police found him, he just needed to stay level-headed. “Now come on back to bed. I’m tired and want to rest.”


	9. Three (Hongbin)

Hakyeon was gorgeous. He always had been. Online and in person, completely beautiful. Hongbin didn’t think his appearance could get much better… until he saw Hakyeon with tousled wet hair, a shirt way bigger than his form with nothing but short shorts underneath, glistening skin from his bath, and a shiny black collar. It took everything he had to not shove the smaller male against the wall and make out with him until he passed out from lack of air, but he manage to keep himself restrained.

The slightly older male crawled onto the bed and sat there stiffly, legs criss-crossed and arms loosely hugging himself, gaze not raising past his lap. Hongbin stretched before pulling the covers up and snuggling under them, quickly tugging them from under the other boy and pulling him under too. Hakyeon was a statue when Hongbin drew him into his arms under the blankets, a leg thrown over the other’s smooth, damp ones, Hakyeon’s face pressed into Hongbin’s chest, but he didn’t struggle to get out, seeming to realize that he didn’t have a chance in escaping if Hongbin didn’t want him to. The stronger male smiled at this lack of resistance, stroking his fingers through Hakyeon’s soft, wet hair as he closed his eyes and relaxed. He had no intention of falling asleep; he knew Hakyeon wouldn’t hesitate to strangle him to death if he relaxed his guard too much. But he just wanted to live in this moment, the moment of having the most beautiful person in the world in his arms, his arms and only his, unavailable to anyone else. He wanted to relax in the fact that yes, Hakyeon himself was right here pressed against him. It was hard not to fall asleep this way, but he managed until he felt his eyelids drooping before sitting up.

He checked his watch. It had been a full hour of cuddling, but Hakyeon hadn’t relaxed much, quickly shuffling away to the other side of the bed the second he was released from Hongbin’s grasp. The man chuckled, in a great mood after snuggling with the love of his life, rustling Hakyeon’s hair before taking the end of the dancer’s chain and curling it around the foot board of the bed again. 

Hakyeon seemed to very quickly realize that he was about to be restrained again. “Please don’t,” he muttered, his confidence gone as if he knew full well that nothing he said could convince Hongbin to not click the lock back closed, leaving him trapped within two feet of the bed once more. “Someday when you’re good I won’t have to,” he promised sweetly before stretching his arms above his head. “Goodnight, Yeonnie.” And without waiting for a response he knew he wasn’t getting, he made his way back upstairs to the couch, crashing immediately with the dampness of Hakyeon’s body still soaked into his shirt.

He checked his watch the moment he woke up, assumedly the next morning. It was noon on the third full day of having Hakyeon all to himself, and the first thing he considered was that Hakyeon hadn’t eaten in three full days now. With this thought he made his way into the kitchen and pulled an uncooked steak out of the fridge, getting to preparing it.

An hour later, he was slipping it out of the small grilling appliance. The scent was immediate, delicious and overpowering, and Hongbin hoped that Hakyeon was awake to smell it. He knew the boy loved meat, so he couldn’t pull the ‘picky eater’ card. He also knew Hakyeon loved something else, which he pulled out of the fridge and poured into a small bowl.. Banana milk. Literally twelve of Hakyeon’s selfies were either with him holding a carton, drinking out of it, or having the beverage sitting in the background, empty on a table or the floor. After cutting the steak into small pieces that Hakyeon couldn’t possibly choke on, he carried the plate down to the bedroom.

Hakyeon was completely awake, and it was amusing how his eyes locked onto the food the moment he found the source of the amazing smell. Hongbin heard his stomach growl from the entrance of the room and he resisted a chuckle. There was no way he could say he wasn’t hungry now. “I brought you some food,” he said cheerfully, and Hakyeon’s eyes lit up a little in a way that Hongbin hadn’t seen in person before… but all things did come with a cost, and he couldn’t break a promise he had previously made.

He put the plate down on the floor, which strangely Hakyeon didn’t even question as he rushed off the bed towards it… until his chain jerked him back. He was shameless in his efforts, having fast metabolism from always dancing so probably starving to death. He reached his hands out as far as they could stretch… and still came a foot away from reaching the plate. Hongbin smirked a little as he watched the earlier gained light fade from the boy’s eyes as he realized that nothing he could do would be able to draw the plate close enough for him to reach the yummy looking meat. It took a few moments before he was desperate enough to look up at Hongbin wearily, muttering a soft ‘Please..?’

“Of course, Yeonie. You can have this whole plate, I even have more if you’re still hungry after. You just have to apologize for cursing at me. Remember what I said before?” Hongbin felt a little irritation that the starving male actually seemed to be contemplating whether it was worth it despite literally having been crawling on the ground for this food moments before. Was just saying sorry that unappealing to him? But he stayed patient and it paid off.

“I’m… I’m sorry for cussing at you.” The words were strained and forced out. “Try to sound a little more heartfelt,” Hongbin offered, waiting patiently. HE wasn’t the one who was hungry. He had all day, and honestly was enjoying this little show of desperation. Hakyeon grit his teeth, bowing his head. “I.. I’m really, really sorry for cussing at you and I promise it won’t happen again, just please let me eat.”

“There we go!” Hongbin felt a wave of arousal rush through him as Hakyeon begged on his own accord, but held it down. There was one more thing he wanted to do before actually giving Hakyeon what he wanted though. He walked around behind the other male and slipped a pair of padded handcuffs out of his pocket, grabbing the boy’s arms and locking them behind his back before he even realized what was happening well enough to struggle. “What..?!” Hongbin smiled at his confusion, stepping back towards the plate. “This is training, remember? And I call the shots. No hands while eating from now on unless I give you permission.” Hakyeon looked completely done, disgusted, frustrated… but that all washed away instantly when Hongbin simply nudged the plate close enough for him to reach it.

He couldn’t tell if it was cute, attractive, or both to see Hakyeon eating off the plate with his mouth, swallowing before he could chew, slurping up the banana milk in the bowl until the level was too low and then lapping at the drink shamelessly like a puppy. “You’re so cute, Yeon,” Hongbin mused, not minding that there was no reaction. The dancer was far too focused on something probably much more important to him than praise. Hongbin couldn’t help but feel his length stir in his pants though when Hakyeon’s tongue was dragging across the plate, lapping up the excess juices from the consumed meat, continuing to lick at it even after the plate was completely clean just in case there might be a little left that he couldn’t see. He pictured that tongue lapping at his come the same way, either that or slightly hanging out of his mouth in pleasure. Again, patience. But damn was it hard.

Hakyeon pulled away from the plate, panting slightly as he seemed to have forgotten to breathe with how fast he scarfed down the food, suddenly realizing how desperate he probably looked and blushing slightly in embarrassment. Hongbin knelt down to pick up the plate and bowl… and Hakyeon went wide eyed. Oops, Hongbin thought. He probably shouldn’t have let the boy see his erection straining against his pants so closely. “Y… you’re terrible, getting off to this,” Hakyeon muttered furiously, his cheeks brighter red now but his anger even redder. “Forcing me to eat like a fucking dog and then getting turned on like a pervert… I’m going to be so fucking happy when you finally get arrested for doing this to me…” How could he go from being blissfully happy to being furious so fast? But the anger was burning in his gut. No, Hongbin, be calm. Don’t scare him, don’t hurt him, not until he did something too stupid. “You know you don’t mean that,” he said, trying to keep his breathing steady so he didnt lash out, but Hakyeon was angry and didn’t seem to be thinking straight himself. “You’re the worst. If you’re so lonely go hire a whore and let me go, you disgust me just looking at your face let alone your junk so..”  
He couldn’t stay calm.

The plate and bowl shattered on the floor, shards flying at his legs and Hakyeon’s form. Hongbin stormed to the lock, punching in the digits so hard he thought he might break the thing and grabbing Hakyeon by the collar the moment he was unhooked. The tanned male struggled fiercely, realizing that if he was going to get out it needed to be now, in his own form of anger himself, but Hongbin didn’t even give him the chance to consider that. He dragged the yelling and twisting male to the metal door on the right, opened it easily, stomped in and shut it behind him. The punishment room. Hakyeon’s struggle hesitated for a moment as he saw what was around him, his face going white like a ghost… before he started struggling harder. “No!! No no no!! Let me out you fucking creep!!” he screamed, but Hongbin wasn’t having it. If he was going to act like a brat he was going to be punished like one should be. He wasn’t going to take this anymore and he had given him three strikes, all used up by the third day.

He dragged Hakyeon to the table, throwing him on it and holding him down effectively with a hand pressed hard against his chest while the other hand focused on strapping one of his wrists down. Once he did that he let go, knowing that the panicked male wasn’t going anywhere now, quickly hooking the other wrist down. Hakyeon tried to kick him when he went to his ankles and he slammed the boy’s leg back down onto the table. He cuffed both ankles, then curled a strap around his stomach and belted that too, leaving Hakyeon on the table with his legs spread a foot apart and his hands around two feet from his waist. Tears were streaking down the boy’s face, but he wasn’t going to fall for those tears again and start feeling guilty, not this time. “Strike three, Hakyeon,” he gritted through his teeth before marching to his tool box. “You’ve effectively pissed me off.”


	10. Kidnapped (Sanghyuk)

The sun was warm on his skin as he walked the courtyard of the relatively large campus, doing his third search of the day. He’d checked all the places where Hakyeon normally crashed out, which included the large window sill on the third floor, the corner of the second floor painting classroom, and the bench of the cafeteria. Wonshik was doing a double check on the roof and through all of Hakyeon’s classes. If they got caught skipping their teachers would probably scold them for paying for tuition and then not even showing up, yada yada… but Sanghyuk was worried.. and in his opinion, rightfully so.

Because it had been three days since he had last seen Hakyeon. This might be normal in most circumstances. Most friends from school vanished for a few days if they went on vacation or were sick or were just tired and taking a break. It would make sense enough… If Hakyeon didn’t literally live with them.

He hadn’t been planning any trips or anything, not like he’d have anywhere he’d generally spontaneously want to visit, saying that his dad had passed away and his mom was entirely out of his life. Him and Wonshik were his only technical family, and honestly the only friends that he was close enough to to visit so suddenly… So that was out of the question.

He wondered if Hakyeon was mad at them. Sure, he’d made some jokes about Hakyeon’s completely obvious crush on Taekwoon, but even then Hakyeon didn’t get THAT angry… Did he say or do something? When he asked Wonshik about this, the other was clueless. If neither of them had upset Hakyeon, then that probably wasn’t his reason for not coming home and skipping classes.

Sanghyuk was getting worried. All of Hakyeon’s less-close friends said they hadn’t seen him in a few days, and he only had one more of Hakyeon’s teachers to ask. The psychology student made his way to the classroom once his phone’s clock stated that there were only five minutes to go until the class let out. It was Hakyeon’s English class, a necessity for enrolling at the college. The teacher seemed like a nice guy, but Hakyeon never really talked much about him. Sanghyuk just hoped that he’d know where his best friend was.

The room was still full of students, even two minutes after class had released. Girls chatting with their friends, people packing their things… One of these people being Jung Taekwoon. Sanghyuk’s jaw dropped slightly. Hakyeon didn’t tell him he had a class with his crush! But that could wait. The teacher seemed to notice the probably unfamiliar face enter the room and had turned towards him.

“Hi,” Sanghyuk said once he drew close enough to have a relatively private conversation. He was pretty social and open with people. The foreign man smiled kindly, and Sanghyuk begged that he wasn’t an American or British exchange teacher and actually knew enough Korean to speak with him.

“Hi there. You must be Mr. Cha’s friend. I’ve seen you walking the halls with him on my breaks.” Thank gosh he actually spoke Korean. “Yeah, that’s me. Um..” But the man also seemed like a very assertive person, as he quickly interrupted Sanghyuk to continue. “Speaking of, do you know where he is? He’s skipped class maybe once or twice before but it’s not like him to not show up for three days.” Sanghyuk bowed his head. So this teacher didn’t know where he was either…

“That’s what I wanted to ask about. We.. me and Wonshik, live with him, but we haven’t seen him since Tuesday. His phone is turned off and he hasn’t gone to any of his classes. I was hoping you would know but…” The teacher’s eyebrows crinkled together in genuine worry. “That’s… really strange. I see why you’d be worried. I… know this is a scary thought, but you might want to contact the police. There’s a chance he might’ve been kidnapped. Does he ever go outside alone or anything?” Sanghyuk felt a lump form in his throat. “H… he does walk home alone at nights…”

The teacher clenched his jaw before turning and scribbling on a piece of paper, quickly finishing and handing it to Sanghyuk. “These are the things you need to tell the police when you call. Just stay calm, they’ll find him. Chances are he’s perfectly fine and it’s just a misunderstanding, but you can never be too careful.” Suddenly the chance that Hakyeon had been kidnapped felt possible, and it was terrifying to think about. No… Kidnappings never happened in this town, not that he knew of. It was a safe place with very little crime. But the teacher was right. After three days with no sign of him, it wasn’t overdramatic for them to call the police. He tried to keep from sounding too upset when he bowed to the teacher, thanked him, said goodbye, and walked out of the room.

He was dialing Wonshik’s number when a hand grabbed his shoulder and spun him around. “T.. Taekwoon-hyung…” he said in surprise, not expecting to see the athlete so close all of the sudden, especially since he usually only watched him from a distance when teasing Hakyeon. Taekwoon looked worried though and didn’t ever seem like the type for more than necessary conversation. “I heard your conversation with Mr. Evans. Hakyeon… he’s really missing?” Sanghyuk wished he recorded Taekwoon saying his name to show to the boy once he came back home, he’d freak with happiness… Then he realized that Hakyeon was missing and he fell back into his fearful worry. “Y.. yeah. He never came back on…”

“Tuesday,” the older male interrupted, seeming to speak to himself more than Sanghyuk now. “I… I bumped into him at the market Tuesday night around nine. He said he was on his way home but didn’t seem to have any form of transportation to get there.” Sanghyuk swallowed. Being honest made him realize how much of a bad friend he probably was for letting Hakyeon walk alone at night, but he didn’t have a car so it never seemed like much help to join him, especially when he got home so late…. “He… he walks home usually…”

Within a moment Taekwoon whipped out his phone, went to call, and dialled a number that probably shouldn’t have been so familiar but Sanghyuk wasn’t really thinking about it. The line was loud enough for him to hear who answered. “Police Department. Is this an emergency?” His eyes went wide as he quickly scrambled for the paper that the teacher had given him, handing it to Taekwoon who read over the sheet quickly. “Probably. Our friend has been missing since Tuesday night. We’re worried he’s been kidnapped.” Kidnapped… That word made Sanghyuk want to cry. There was no way, that only happened to people in movies or famous people or… or something… He quickly texted Wonshik to hurry to the class they were standing in front of. “Alright, can you tell me the exact time, place, and circumstances when he was last seen?” Taekwoon was unusually calm, but Sanghyuk could see the worry clear in his eyes as he replied quickly and curtly. “He was last seen by me in the Hana Market on Ninth Street at nine pm this Tuesday. He was about to start walking home.” There was clicking, the person typing out everything Taekwoon said word for word before going back to the mic. “And can you give me a detailed description of what he looked like when you last saw him?”

“He has black hair, a little wavy, dark brown eyes, and tan skin. He’s around 5’9 in height and is healthily thin, a dancer body. He was wearing a blue hoodie and black skinny jeans with black combat boots.” More typing. Sanghyuk found himself growing more and more restless as the reality of the situation continued to hit him. They were on the phone with the police, putting out a search request for Hakyeon…

Sanghyuk stopped listening to the call as Taekwoon continued to give information, turning instead to Wonshik who was rushing down the hall, breathless. “Did you find him?” He asked, Taekwoon holding a finger to his lips to shush him. Wonshik seemed just as confused as Sanghyuk had been to find Taekwoon there of all people, but his voice fell to a whisper. “Did you find him?” he repeated. Sanghyuk shook his head, slowly sliding down the wall and hugging his knees. Wonshik sat beside him, realizing that there probably wasn’t good news to be heard. “He… We’re… putting in a search request to the police right now. His English teacher didn’t know where he was either. Taekwoon said he saw him at the supermarket around nine on Tuesday…” Wonshik’s eyes slowly widened as he seemed to be hit with the same realization that Sanghyuk was. “The police…” Wonshik murmured softly. “You think he’s been kidnapped..?” Sanghyuk shrugged weakly. “I… I don’t WANT to think that, but it’s possible. It’s better to be safe than sorry…”

Wonshik pulled him into a hug and Sanghyuk realized that tears were slipping down cheeks. Hakyeon was their best friend in the world, if he’d really been kidnapped… What could possibly be happening to him right now? Just thinking about it terrified him and he started to cry into his friend’s arms. Taekwoon hung up after describing Hakyeon’s appearance and general description with some more detail, the person on the other line promising that they’d do everything they could to find him and that they’d put out a search for him as soon as possible. He himself felt almost sick with worry. He should have offered to drive Hakyeon home or something… Of course he’d considered it but thought that it would be awkward since he barely knew the other male. Now he felt stupid, like this was his fault. If he really had been kidnapped…

He found himself sitting beside Wonshik and Sanghyuk, staring at the wall and just contemplating any other option as to why his classmate could have gone missing. He couldn’t find anything logical for the life of him.


	11. Master (Hakyeon)

No, no no no. This man was insane, he had to get out, but he couldn’t get out with every limb restrained tightly to the freezing metal table. He pleaded, he cried, but the man wasn’t relaxing, digging around in a toolbox… What was he going to do to him?! Was he going to kill him..?! Torture him…?! Hakyeon sobbed as he thought of this. Why was this happening?!

The man came back with a handful of items that he scattered onto a smaller table beside him. He could see a scalpel, a small, thin, wooden panel with a handle, some rings, a large needle, a black rubber ball with a belt around it, and a strange circular object around the size of an egg. He was trembling. “P… please don’t hurt me, please, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…” It wasn’t enough. The man picked up the ball-like thing, and before Hakyeon could continue to protest his jaw was grabbed and forced open and the ball was shoved inside, the belt being wrapped around his head and locked there. His pleads were muffled as he cried, trying to express his begging through his eyes to the man but it wasn’t getting through. The man picked up the scalpel and Hakyeon felt the cold, razor thin tip press against his stomach… Then the stinging pain as it sunk in shallowly and slid like butter across the skin. His muscles clenched as he tried to struggle, crying as he realized that this wasn’t just to scare him, the man was actually doing this. Another cut across the first to form an X, and the blood was running down the sides of his stomach. The man then moved down to right above his hipbone where he took the scalpel and started to make deeper and more precise cuts. Hakyeon cried out in pain and fear, unable to struggle at all with a knife dug into him. The blood ran out of the wounds as soon as they were formed, so much blood that Hakyeon couldn’t tell what the man was writing until he smeared the crimson away from his work with the back of his hand. “HB.” It was neat and deep and would probably scar darkly.

The man then brought the scalpel up towards his throat. His muffled yells grew louder as it approached closer to Hakyeon’s collar as the dancer feared that his throat was about to be slit, but the sharp metal instead favored to slit down the neck of his shirt, cutting the tee in half, then cutting each sleeve before pulling the fabric out and throwing it on the floor. Then he got to the dancer shorts, cutting those off completely, leaving Hakyeon completely naked and strapped down. The scalpel was dropped onto the smaller table, much to Hakyeon’s temporary relief, but that relief vanished as something else was picked up… The wooden panel. The man raised it up before slamming it down without any restraint onto the fleshy part of Hakyeon’s thigh, making the dancer howl in pain as it was done again and again, four times to each leg. Then he dropped the paddle on the table.

“Are you really sorry, Yeonie? I think you’re just saying that. I’ve complied with that twice already, and you should know by now that I’m not a fool.” Hakyeon tried to respond, tried to beg, but the words weren’t coming out as anything but muffled whines with the small ball between his lips. He felt a little spit slipping from the corner of his lip down his chin, but he wasn’t concerned with that right now. What was this man going to do to him next…?

The man reached forward and wiped off the spit with the back of his hand carelessly, as if it wasn’t a bodily fluid that wasn’t generally supposed to leave the mouth. Then he went back to his small table, ignoring Hakyeon’s whimpers and reaching for the needle, playing with it thoughtlessly as he muttered. “You know, in ancient times certain cultures thought piercings indicated slavery…” He was exhausted from the struggling but that didn’t compel him to stop. “And you keep indicating that you’re being held hostage as a slave or something… Is it that you secretly want that?” He shook his head but the man simply grunted, dipping the needle in a jar of something that smelled like disinfected before pushing Hakyeon’s head to the side and pressing it against the table with his elbow, positioning the needle to the lobe of his ear. “Just an ear piercing is good enough. We’ll get to the less common ones the next time we visit this room.” And with that the needle was sliding through his ear and he was crying because it was happening so slowly. Any normal ear piercing went fast, with a click, but this was a needle not a machine, a needle meant for sewing or pinning but not piercing.

He could feel the lack of resistance suddenly when the needle was all the way through before it was pulled out the other side. There wasn’t any bleeding that he could feel, not that he’d know if it was supposed to. He’d never gotten a piercing before, he’d never even considered it. Something else was slipping into the new hole before the needle was back, a little bit above where the first puncture throbbed and it was happening again, the same process. Needle inching in slowly, drawing out his screams, then popping through, being pulled out, and something being stuck in. Then once on the other side. He was exhausted and his entire body throbbed, his thighs from the paddle, his stomach from the cuts, and now his ears from the three piercings that had been done so far. The man held up a mirror that was probably on the table and just not seen by the dancer. He looked like a complete wreck, but that wasn’t what was on display.

What WAS supposed to be noticed, was that both of his ears were now decorated. The lower piercing on the left ear was a small silver ring, the one right above that being a sparkling, circular ruby stud. On the other side was a stud similarly made of a ruby-like gem, but shaped like a star. The skin around them was inflamed and red and the mirror was tossed not-too-gingerly aside as the man stroked his cheek. “Aren’t they pretty, Yeonie? I wanted to show you how much I love you so I got only the best so they won’t get infected or break.” The man seemed to realize though that while Hakyeon’s muffled screams were nice, he was getting bored. He unhooked the gag and pulled it out, wiping the spit off the ball and dropping it back onto the table. Hakyeon began to speak immediately.

“Please, master, please, I’ll do anything just please stop!” Hakyeon was sobbing, and the man seemed shocked that he had called him ‘master’ without any influence. “I’m sorry, I’m so so sorry...! It hurts so bad, please…!”

“Shh… Shh baby, it’s okay,” he whispered, cradling the dancer’s head in his hands. “The punishment’s almost over. All you’ll feel now are good feelings, I promise... “ The man then began to uncuff his ankles. Was he letting him out of this awful room now..? Hakyeon hoped and hoped that he could finally just go to sleep and stop hurting. But his legs were dragged apart once they were uncuffed… and hooked back to different cuffs. Restrained with his legs spread like this was humiliating and only spurred more fear of what was to come. “Please, no more, please…” The man shushed him again before reaching and wrapping his hand around Hakyeon’s length suddenly, giving it a few strokes. As much as he didn’t want to, he was responding, and after a minute or so his length was hard and pressing against his stomach. “Good boy…” the man muttered with a soft smile. He then pulled a small bottle out of a baggie on the smaller table and dumped a clear liquid onto his fingers… before positioning them to Hakyeon’s hole. “No, no no no please…”

A finger pressed in slowly, but even slowly it was still unbelievably uncomfortable. It thrusted a few times before another was pushed in, and now the stretch slightly hurt. “Master, don’t do this to me, please…” The man stroked his hair with his other hand, but didn’t even slow down. A third finger and he was in tears again, clawing at the smooth steel table. The slightly younger male continued on and on until the tightness wasn’t completely unbearable before shifting around for something… And then Hakyeon jolted as suddenly instead of pain a burst of pleasure shot up his spine, making him gasp. “There we go,” he smiled and continued to hit that same place over and over.

No, no, what was he doing? Why was he moaning..? Why couldn’t he stop? But it felt so good, every time that spot was hit he was overwhelmed with pleasure darting straight to his dick. He felt the tightness in his lower stomach, he was about to come, he was about to… Hakyeon felt full embarassment fill his chest as he actually whined when the man pulled his fingers out. “Don’t worry, kitten, there’ll be something better,” the man laughed, obviously happy that he had managed to make his hostage like this. Hakyeon would be mad if he wasn’t so unbelievably worn out. Between being in throbbing pain and being unbelievably aroused, he was exhausted.

The small, blue, egg shaped object was picked up next before being coated with the clear liquid. Was the man going to put that inside of him..? Hakyeon bit his lip, whining a little as yes, the sphere was pressed to his entrance before being pushed in deep. It felt weird having something so big inside of him, uncomfortable being the right word. Why did he do that..? But the man had something else in his hand now. A handheld device with four small buttons on it. “Do you know what this is, Yeonie?” the man asked, and he nervously shook his head. “Then you’ll see in just a second.” And with that he pressed the second button…

And what the fuck was that…!?! Hakyeon moaned loudly, unable to stop as whatever the thing was started buzzing softly, right against the spot that had sent him dizzy with pleasure before. He was gasping but it was nonstop stimulation, completely overwhelming. “Doesn’t it feel good, Yeon? See what I can do for you?” He couldn’t reply, too overwhelmed, too wrapped up in shamelessly panting as he was coming so close to his release once more. The man smirked before his finger slipped up to the next button and it was pressed in. The buzzing grew more intense and he couldn’t hold on any longer, it was too much. He released over his stomach with a loud, dirty moan, his high not lasting quite as long as it probably would have when the pain from the saltiness of the come getting into his cuts came into effect. Still, he was overwhelmed, sated, and completely exhausted, leaving him to lay there still and panting as the fingers were back inside of him, pulling the slick sphere out and dropping it onto the table. “Isn’t it good?” the man whispered, stroking his hair and sucking on his collarbone, making his skin tingle with the warm wetness of his mouth. “I can make you feel like this all the time. Non-stop pleasure. And all you have to do is obey…” He fell asleep to these words, this soft muttering against his skin as those soft lips found more and more places to latch onto. He’d hate himself for admitting that, while in his temporary high, he actually slightly considered it.


	12. Master (Hongbin)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double update, read the previous chapter if you havent~

Hongbin was in a state of bliss. Hakyeon was beautiful when he cried, beautiful when he screamed, beautiful when his face contorted in pain, and so, unbelievably beautiful when he came. His entire body would tense at first, his eyebrows would crinkle together and his eyes would squeeze shut, then it all would relax at once, his lips parting as he gasped out soft moans as he sprayed out onto his stomach. He wanted to watch it again and again, knowing for sure that he’d record it next time it happened so he could play the video on repeat, maybe even show it to Jaehwan to provoke some jealousy.

He tucked the smaller male into the bed, curling up beside him for a few minutes before crawling out to go to sleep himself. As much as he didn’t want to hurt Hakyeon before, he felt a warm feeling of relaxation floating through him. It always felt so nice to feel in charge, especially when it was Hakyeon he was dealing with. Hongbin made his way back upstairs after making sure his love was secured with the chain to the bed, curling up into the soft couch pillows and allowing himself to easily drift into sleep.

He woke up to the sound of fitful crying from downstairs, immediately frowning despite feeling well rested and comfortable. Had Hakyeon hurt himself somehow? He crawled out from under his blanket and hurried down the stairs.

He didn’t LOOK like he had gained any new wounds, but tears were once again staining the sunkissed dancer’s pretty face. “What’s wrong, Yeon?” Hongbin asked carefully, slowly approaching. He reached his hand out to stroke the boy’s back but his arm was roughly shoved away… Oh. He forgot. He was so caught up in how proud he was to have pleasured his pet that he didn’t remember that he had also inflicted a rather heavy punishment before. He must’ve assumed Hakyeon was simple as to have forgotten about that. Oops.

But it all had happened. The new piercings on Hakyeon’s ears glinted in the light. He looked a mess with dishevelled hair and bruises in rings around his wrists; Hongbin hadn’t realized that he was struggling THAT hard the night before.. Oops. His stomach was dirtied with dried blood and come; Hongbin must’ve forgotten to clean him up in his happiness. Again, oops. Hickeys littered his collarbone and chest… Not oops. But if he had to diagnose the reason why Hakyeon was crying right now, he was probably either in pain, humiliated for begging and moaning like a slut the night before, or realizing again that he wasn’t going to get his way….

Probably all three.

So Hongbin left him alone to deal with that, knowing that anything he did would just make things worse for the dancer, causing him to retaliate which would make Hongbin mad, which would, in turn, make things even worse again for the dancer. He went out and bought some groceries, drove a circle around the small town to just get a feel for the location, then drove the ten miles back to the crumbling old shack that hid a small but comfortable home just underneath it. He made his way in, put all the groceries away, went to check on his sweetheart who had cried himself to sleep, then made his way to the couch where he plopped down and pulled out his phone. He was completely sated with Hakyeon after the previous night, not feeling any necessarily strong urge to be with the other right now, which was probably good. Hakyeon probably needed some space to recover from the crazy events that had happened rather impulsively on Hongbin’s part. He didn’t regret a single thing that had happened though.

The phone rang three times before Jaehwan finally picked up. “You won’t believe what happened last night,” Hongbin started, a broad smile on his face and clear in his voice, even if he couldn’t be seen by the other. His friend paused, as if contemplating this, before replying, “Hakyeon actually did something that showed some form of improvement?” He thought about it. “You could say that. So I kind of got out of control again…”

“Damn it, Hongbin! Whatever he did was probably cause he was scared, you can’t keep screaming at him and expecting…”

“I made him come last night.” Silence. Then… “Go on…” So Hongbin continued with a satisfied, amused grin. “He was being a brat and I had had enough so I dragged him to the chamber I told you about, right?”

“Don’t tell me you tortured him. Is he a masochist? Is that why he came?” Hongbin shushed his friend so he could continue. “So I did some messing around and cut my initials into his stomach and may have given him a few new piercings…” Jaehwan groaned but listened on. “But they look good though, don’t worry. And he was gagged that whole time. When I took the gag out though? Jaehwan, he called me master, he was the sweetest I’ve ever heard him be towards me.”

“Like I said, probably cause he was terrified of what you’d do if he wasn’t. But continue.” His friend sounded kind of done with his rambling, so he wrapped it up. “Anyway, I introduced him to some things, simple things, fingering, a vibrator. And he LOVED it. He was moaning so much he barely had room to breathe.”

“Ah, so he’s a natural born slut then. Good for you.” Hongbin puffed his cheeks at how unenthusiastic his friend was being at the wonderful story he was telling. “You could at least sound more happy. ‘Wow, Hongbin! I’m so glad the love of your life is finally responding to you positively!’ Kind of like that.”

“Wow, Hongbin! I’m so glad the love of your life is finally responding to you positively!” Jaehwan quoted with the same exact tone as Hongbin had when he said the words five seconds ago himself. “You’re such a jerk,” Hongbin mumbled. Jaehwan only laughed. “So when do I get to see this beautiful excuse of a man? All I did to help you find him and you don’t even invite me over?” Hongbin grit his teeth a little with his reply, feeling a small surge of both concern over Hakyeon and possessiveness. “He’s not ready yet. He’d probably freak out at you.”

“Then drug him.”

“What..?!”

“You heard me. I’ve done it to a few of the cute boys in the clubs if I want a one-nighter. They’re not dead weight, instead they get all giggly and cute and strangely reliant… all the things you probably want. It’s a temporary fix, but it’s not like it’ll harm anything.” Hongbin pondered this. He did want to see Hakyeon finally smile at him… But drugs..? Wouldn’t he get addicted? That might turn out to get expensive in the long run. Jaehwan never had to worry about his victims getting addicted because after that one night they were nothing to him. Hakyeon would be with him forever though… “I’ll think about it.”

“Good. Then I’ll be over at eight tonight. I’ll bring my own stuff, don’t worry. This’ll have him wasted within thirty minutes, then you can have all the fun you want, THEN get back to the whole strict training schedule. Bye!” Before Hongbin had a chance to argue, the phone line was beeping at him, indicating that Jaehwan had hung up. He sighed, slipping the device back into his pocket. It seemed like he was going to have to prepare for guests a lot sooner than he expected.


	13. Cellphone (Sanghyuk)

There was an officer they had keeping in touch with them. It was nine oclock in the morning, and usually Sanghyuk would kill someone for waking him up this early, but when his phone rang he grabbed for it immediately, as if he had been waiting for the call rather than sleeping. “Any word?” he asked without any form of greeting. Jungkook was a kind man, one they could trust. “Not yet, but we’re out searching. I’m at the Hana Market right now looking for anything useful, don’t worry. What I wanted to ask was if you knew anyone who might want to kidnap Hakyeon?” Sanghyuk didn’t want to think about it, but he forced himself to. Any people at school? No… Everyone loved him and he never really had problems with anyone. Maybe his mother? He almost laughed at that. After she’d beaten him and told him to get out, then begged him to come back the next day, he doubted that she’d be an option. But it was there. Other people… Not really… “His mother and him had a falling out around three years ago and he hasn’t talked to her since, but I don’t know if she’d go crazy enough to kidnap him all of the sudden..” Sanghyuk muttered. Jungkook grunted softly into the phone, indicating that he had that noted. “Alright, his mother. What about his father?” Sanghyuk frowned softly, remembering the kind man. “He died a few years ago.” 

“No people at school? At work?”

“Nobody at school for sure, everyone loves him and there aren’t really any bullies or anything towards him, and his work barely even knows his name, he just restocks groceries. I don’t think he knows anyone there, let alone anyone that would want to kidnap him.” Jungkook sighed softly. “Um… How about social media?” 

“He’s really popular on instagram. His username is bananamilk1990. He helps me and Wonshik edit videos sometimes too, and we tag him when he does. Uh… He posts dancing videos to his youtube sometimes. That’s all I can think of.” Jungkook didn’t reply for a bit, probably writing all of this down. It was strange how an officer Sanghyuk had met yesterday made him feel so comfortable. “Alright. I’ll check around here a bit more and let you know what’s going on by six tonight. Alright?” Sanghyuk nodded, and even though Jungkook couldn’t see him over the phone, the younger male replied as if he could. “Take care of yourself, Sanghyuk. I promise we’ll find Hakyeon soon.” 

Wonshik entered the room the second the phone call hung up; Either he’d been listening to the conversation behind the door or it was just a strange coincidence. “Jungkook?” he asked softly, Sanghyuk nodding before replying. “How do you think Taekwoon knows him? He’s so nice and has to be like eighteen years old. That’s crazy how he can be a police officer that young.” Wonshik sat down beside Sanghyuk on the bed, staring at the ceiling fan slowly whirling around and around in loops. “Taekwoon told me that for family reasons he had to call the police often, so the station assigned him to Jungkook so the request for help would go faster.” Sanghyuk nodded, laying back on the bed, feeling comfort next to one of his best friends but feeling strangely empty inside with the absence of the other. “Taekwoon must have a hard life,” he muttered, trying to keep his mind off of the fact that Hakyeon could be in pain or being forced to do something terrible right now. “Yeah,” Wonshik replied quietly. “It’s kind of funny how you can look at a person and think everything must be perfect for them and then... “ 

“Remember when we met Hakyeon?” Wonshik chuckled at Sanghyuk’s random question before continuing the story himself. “We were so jealous that he had two parents since both of us had either a dad or a mom, not both. But his mom was the one that worked all the time and he always had his dad… We’d spend weeks straight just playing games at his house, all while his dad laughed at how silly we were.” They fell silent for a moment, both enjoying the nostalgia. The past seemed much more comfortable than the present, and it helped a little to just think back to happy memories. “We thought he had it so good until you randomly showed up at his house one night when you mom stayed overnight at work.” Wonshik nodded, remembering it. He had been just about to knock on the door of the Cha house before he froze, hearing screaming. “His mom was beating his dad, threatening to leave him poor and homeless with their ‘worthless son who wasn’t good enough to inherit her hard earned business.’ And that man was too kind to even force her to stop. His dad was the sweetest person, I swear.” Sanghyuk sighed a little. “I’m… glad Hakyeon left his mom behind. I’m glad we all moved in together. This family we’ve made… It’s more of a family than any of our real parents were for us.” 

And then in the silence, reality struck again. “And now, Hakyeon…”

“Don’t say it.” Wonshik’s voice was firm, and Sanghyuk fell quiet. “They’ll find him, Hyukkie. I trust them. Kidnappings never last more than a few days, and if he’s being held ransom for his mom’s money, the kidnapper will quickly find that she doesn’t give a shit about him and let him go. It… it’ll be okay.” Was it wishful thinking…? Was it just hope in the likely…? Neither of them honestly knew. They spent the rest of the evening waiting eagerly until six oclock when Jungkook would update them. 

Taekwoon had come over around three. He looked anxious and bashful as he stood at the door, mumbling that it was rude of him to show up uninvited but that he was just wanting to check how the search for Hakyeon was going. They invited him in immediately, made him a cup of tea, and soon all three of them were sitting at the four-chaired table, staring at the empty chair restlessly as if Hakyeon would just appear in it, blushing his guts off that Jung Taekwoon was in their house. Wishful thinking.

They talked about simple things that grew quickly into much deeper things. Talk about pets faded into talk about family struggles. Sanghyuk poured out about his father abandoning him and his mother working herself to death literally, him walking in at age twelve to find her on the floor and him working odd jobs to foot the hospital bill when she died three days later. Wonshik drabbled a little about his single father who drank himself into a stupor every night just to take out his frustration about his ex-wife on Wonshik and his sister, who moved out on her own to live with a friend when she was only eleven years old, leaving him behind until he left in the middle of the night, too. And then it was Taekwoon’s turn…

“My dad’s bipolar,” he stated, so calmly that it seemed like he was talking about the weather, only his eyes were downcast and weary. “Which is fine, I guess, if treated…. But he won’t admit anything’s wrong with him. My mom’s doing her best to support me and my siblings, but she won’t admit that my dad’s ruining us. He’ll beat her black and blue and she’ll swear that it was her fault, she messed up and things are fine. A month ago there was this whole situation because my older sister walked into the bedroom to find my mom hanging from the ceiling from a rope…” The two went wide eyed as Taekwoon quietly continued. “But she wasn’t heavy enough to break her neck and she must’ve fallen like that just moments before because she came out of it with only a little damage. But it didn’t matter, the paramedics put her in a psych hospital. So now it’s just… us and him. My brother tries to mediate things but it’s not working and my dad’s pissed that she’s not there to have sex with him. That’s… how things are right now.”

They were both frozen in surprise. It all fell back to what Wonshik had said earlier. Everyone went through things, but you wouldn’t even know… “I’d love to just… leave. What you have right now, where you’re living with each other and taking care of each other, it’s a dream for me. But I can’t, even if I could afford it and manage it. My dad… Last night that asshole tried to touch my sister. I tried to stop him and… well…” And Taekwoon rolled up his shirt and turned around… Sanghyuk gasped. There were whip lashes all across his back, probably thirty of them, shallow but scabbing and bright red with the irritation from his shirt rubbing against them. He readjusted himself before resting his head on the back of his hand, elbows on the table to support himself. “There’s not much I can do, but at least I can distract him from getting too close to the others. My brother can hold his own but my sisters… They’re not strong enough. I don’t want them getting hurt.” 

“Taekwoon…” Wonshik muttered softly. “You… I’m so sorry…” The older male shook his head. “Please don’t be. I’m fine, I’m used to it. I’m just… trying to say that I understand. All that you’ve gone through, I understand. I… I know I’m a stranger and all, but Hakyeon is the kindest person I’ve ever seen, and I want to help you find him. He’s always laughing and smiling in the classroom, he has so many people who look up to him… I’m scared for him.” And Sanghyuk was off his chair, pulling Taekwoon into a hug, one that wrapped around his neck rather than his back since he didn’t want to press against the wounds there. “Please help us find him. You… you’re really kind, you know that, Taekwoon? Most people would just dismiss their classmate going missing but you’re not…” The older male faintly blushed as Wonshik smiled at him before standing to go make another three cups of instant-tea. He put the cups on the table and had just sat down when a soft buzzing filled the room. 

Sanghyuk scrambled hurriedly for his phone, catching ‘Jungkook’ on the caller ID before answering and switching to speakerphone, placing the device in the center of the table. “Sanghyuk?” 

“You’re on speaker, Taekwoon and Wonshik are here too. Did… did you find anything?” Jungkook grunted, something he seemed to do to acknowledge things before he spoke again. “I… found something of importance. Can you three meet me at the Yeou Cafe as soon as possible? I’ll be waiting in a booth there.” The three quickly agreed before hanging up and without hesitation scrambling for their socks and shoes by the door. 

It was around a thirty minute walk, as only Taekwoon could drive and he wasn’t able to sneak his dad’s car away long enough without getting caught. But it only ended up being a fifteen minute jog, and the three boys were panting when they reached the hostess stand, the girl surprised at their exhaustion but leading them to the table with ‘the nice police officer who looks like he’s sixteen.’ Jungkook was reading something on his phone, but turned the device off and shoved it into his pocket casually when he saw the three approach. “It’s nice to see you again, Taekwoon-hyung, and it’s nice to finally meet you in person, Sanghyuk and Wonshik.” He stood, bowing politely, the others following his lead and doing the same. He sat back down, scooting over in the booth so that Taekwoon could sit beside him, Wonshik and Sanghyuk crawling into the booth space across from them. “Order whatever you want, it’s on me,” Jungkook offered, but seemed to realize that they were here for something much more important than food. He reached into his other pocket and slipped something out, placing it gently on the table in the middle of all of them.

It was Hakyeon’s phone. The screen was cracked (it hadn’t been Tuesday morning when Hakyeon had posted a picture of an annoyed Wonshik to instagram)... but that was definitely Hakyeon’s phone. The soft blue case was unique in that he had slathered the back of it with a thin coat of mixed waxes, deep blues and purples and hints of pink. Wonshik had been there telling him it was a bad idea, that he might mess up his case and that they could get expensive, but the galaxy look turned out beautiful once the splatters of white were added in to make up the stars. The wax was soft to the touch and beautiful to the eye. It was Hakyeon’s phone. 

“Wh.. where did you find this?” Wonshik asked, slowly taking it into his hands once he saw that the others weren’t going to, testing the power button to find that it was dead, probably the reason why it seemed to be off when they called. “It was in the brush near the trail around ten minutes from the Hana Market towards your house. There aren’t any streetlights in that area and no one really goes down there, but it’s a shortcut to your apartment so I assumed it’d be the best bet…” Sanghyuk stared at the phone in Wonshik’s hand, wishing it could tell them more, anything more about where Hakyeon might be. 

Taekwoon was the next to speak. “Did you find anything else?” Jungkook nodded. “One other thing. I thought it may or may not be his but I figured I should grab it anyway, just in case.” And he slipped out a pile of white and red beads, some still loosely strung onto a transparent wire but most scattered in the officer’s hand. Wonshik put the phone down and hid his face in his hands, Sanghyuk feeling himself tearing up. “Is… it of some importance?” Jungkook asked nervously. Taekwoon glanced uneasily between the two, who seemed broken up over it. 

“It’s… Here.” Without saying more, Sanghyuk slipped something out of the neck of his hoodie… A necklace with beads just like it, except the red was replaced with green. Wonshik slowly did the same, his beads white and blue. “When we were much younger we were stupid and thought it was cool to wear friendship necklaces, so we made this and… I don’t know. I guess we’ve never scrapped them since. Hakyeon would never take that off, and he’d freak out if it broke like that.” Jungkook stared at the beads in his hand before nodding, his expression going solemnly dark. “These beads were all over the path, just scattered out. If Hakyeon wouldn’t have left them there if he had a choice, then the chances that he was kidnapped are much higher.” Taekwoon swallowed down the guilt in his throat. He should’ve just given Hakyeon a ride home…. 

“But the good news is that we have special tools these days. We’ll do a dna scan of everything we’ve found. I already checked the phone, so I’m going to leave that to you guys. Screw what the department says about evidence, you need something for comfort…” Jungkook sighed at their moping expressions. “I swear we’ll find him and this kidnapper and the guy who took him will be in jail for years. I promise. We’ll get him out okay. Just trust me.” Jungkook was an easy person to trust. Sanghyuk just wished that what the officer was asking for wasn’t completely impossible.


	14. Visit (Hongbin/Hakyeon)

Hongbin was sitting in the old shack at eight thirty, getting ticked that his friend demanded to visit then didn’t even bother to show up on time. He hoped that Jaehwan had died in a car accident or something far away enough from the house to not draw suspicion to the place. While Jaehwan was his ‘friend,’ they were a bit different from most friends and made it clear the day they met that they had much higher priorities than each other. Jaehwan’s addiction to clubbing and the less socially acceptable aspects of clubbing made friends hard to keep, especially after they woke up with a raging headache in a random hotel bed, naked with a huge bill on the pillow with a smiley face drawn on the paper in pen. And Hongbin’s obsession with Hakyeon was to be kept secret in case the person decided to tell the boy before he could make his move. Either way, friend wise, they only had each other around because there was no one else to go to that wouldn’t rat them out. 

Even if Jaehwan didn’t die per se, he hoped the other male had at least forgotten. The more he thought about it, the less he was comfortable with drugging Hakyeon. Yeah, it might make for a good night, but he wanted his love to adjust to him easily without the use of pills or whatever Jaehwan had in stock. Besides, he wasn’t in a touchy mood right now, and while he’d have sex with Hakyeon any day it was available (which now was every day if he wanted), he wanted to save it for a day he’d physically enjoy it a bit more.

So when Jaehwan finally did pull up, strutting into the shack with excuses of traffic and his show running late, Hongbin laid down the rules right there. “We’re not drugging him.” Jaehwan didn’t look pleased. “And why not? Is he sick or something?” Hongbin rolled his eyes. Duh Hakyeon wasn’t sick, he always fed him healthily. Why would Jaehwan assume he’d allow his kitten to get sick? But as he pulled back the rug and lifted the trapdoor, he explained bluntly. “He’s still a little pissy over his punishment last night. I’m giving him the day to relax… And before you say that drugging him will relax him, the answer is still no, Jaehwan.” The older male sighed, rolling his eyes and mumbling a ‘whatever’ before following Hongbin into the house.

Hongbin smirked in pride as his ‘friend’ gazed around in shock at the cozy interior that he surely didn’t expect to see under a country shack. “Damn, dude, I was expecting like a pedo warehouse or something. I’m kind of glad I invested in this now. Can I sleep over?” Hongbin chuckled, copying his friend’s previous answer and mumbling ‘whatever’ in a fake, passive-aggressive tone. They sat on the couch for a while chatting, Jaehwan clicking on the tv after forty minutes to show Hongbin the series he had been obsessing over for the past week or two, some american zombie show that was putting out a new season. 

“Like seriously, I love Daryl, he’s so badass. Like legit, I’d want him to take me so hard, I’m not even kidding.” 

“TMI, Jaehwan.” As little as he acted like he cared, Hongbin was enjoying himself immensely. Things felt so… normal. Hakyeon was downstairs in bed and him and his friend were upstairs eating chips and talking about tv. He had dreamed of this for ages, and the fact that things were finally settling down meant that his life was finally becoming how he wanted it to be. It was nice. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There was someone upstairs that wasn’t the man. When Hakyeon had heard the unfamiliar voice he had high hopes. Maybe this stranger could rescue him, maybe that was even this person’s intention! Except then the men were conversing as friends… His kidnapper brought a friend over..? And his heart fell again.

The chain’s weight on his ankle was growing so familiar so quickly that he didn’t even feel it anymore until it slightly pulled when he stood up off the bed to try and peek around the corner and up the stairs. The bed was close enough to the stairs that if he strained himself, he could just barely see up, though the cuff tugged on his ankle tightly and it wasn’t the most comfortable thing to do for too long. He could see the light from a tv flashing at two figures on a plush couch… One was his kidnapper, but the other was entirely unfamiliar. 

He sighed, making his way back to the bed. He was emotionally exhausted, too much so to feel anxious or even sad anymore. Once he woke up to remember what had happened to him he had cried for hours straight until no more tears were flowing and his throat was tight and burning from his sobs being silent. He didn’t want to annoy the man and risk getting hurt again. Because despite having been cautious of his kidnapper before, now he was plain scared of the man. Who in their right mind would have a freaking torture chamber in their basement…? But it was made clear far before last night that this man was crazy. He should’ve expected it, but that didn’t stop it from hurting.

Because damn it hurt. As he laid on the bed, he pulled up the grey, oversized t-shirt he had woken up in and analyzed the wounds on his stomach. They were scabbing a little, dried over. An X on his stomach, and the letters ‘HB’ written above his hipbone… HB… What did HB even stand for..? He assumed with a sick amount of sureness that those were the man’s initials. It didn’t help him feel any less gross to notice that while his stomach must’ve been wiped down at some point in the day, there were still small dots of dried blood or come on his stomach. The blood didn’t bother him as much as the latter…

...Because damn had he responded. He felt so gross, not even physically. He gets turned on by actions that happen against his will now…? The man literally had him strapped to a table after beating him and piercing him and cutting him and when the man started to try and please him he just fell into it? Hakyeon shoved his shirt down and curled up into the blankets. He felt slutty and easy and trapped and he hated it. No doubt would the man come to him bragging about how he’d made him come. But how was that his fault either..? He’d never had anyone touch him like that before. He’d maybe gotten off with his own hand a few times, but this was entirely new. Of course he wouldn’t have any self control in that aspect.

Hakyeon hid under the blankets and listened to the conversation going on on the floor above. He couldn’t hear very well due to the tv and the distance, but if he listened closely enough and didn’t shift at all, he could make out most of the words being exchanged. 

“So, Hongbin… When do I get to go visit your newest gain exactly?” 

“You can wait, Jaehwan. I have to feed him in like ten minutes anyway, you can come with me then.”

Hongbin…? HB… So this man’s name was Hongbin. Hakyeon tried to remember if it was familiar. Had he heard it at school? He’d considered that this was someone who went to college with him who just had an unhealthy obsession over him. Hongbin explained that he had found Hakyeon on the internet but there was no way, that just didn’t make sense. But no, not at work, not at school, there was no place where that name was familiar. Hongbin… At least there was a name to the face…

“Fine, fine. What are you feeding him anyway? I don’t see you preparing anything.”

“It’s in the fridge. Just some veggies. Normally I give him chicken or beef since he likes it but he cussed me out this morning.” The man named Jaehwan laughed. “You treat him like a child, either that or a dog. Not like I’m complaining. He has a collar right? And you chain him to your bed… It honestly sounds kind of hot, I’m jealous.” 

“Then keep one of yours for longer than a night and don’t ditch them at the hotel this time.”

“But then I’d have to actually paaaayyy…”

So Jaehwan was a terrible person, too. Hakyeon should’ve expected Hongbin’s friend to be awful like Hongbin was, but he was still disappointed. He thought that even if Jaehwan knew he was down here, he still might feel bad once he saw his condition. Maybe Hongbin would leave the room and he could beg and plead to be helped… He was stupid for even considering that Hongbin would allow a situation like that to be possible. Jaehwan wouldn’t care, and that was precisely why Hongbin would even consider letting him into the house in the first place.

When he heard footsteps clicking down the steps, he pulled the blanket over his head despite knowing that it was obvious he was there, whether from the lump in the covers where he was or the chain running up the bed and looping back under the blanket to his ankle. “Aww, look, he’s hiding,” Jaehwan cooed from the base of the stairs, Hongbin replying calmly, “He does that when he’s mad. Yeon, I have food.” 

“Go away,” he mumbled. Hongbin couldn’t do much to him while his friend was here, could he? Even if Jaehwan was terrible, he might not be okay with the things that happen past that steel door. As usual when he gets too sassy, Hongbin wasn’t having it. The covers were torn off of him and his collar, currently the one with the loop, was tugged until he was sitting up. “Be more polite, Yeonie, we have guests over.” With that he was released, reluctantly glancing over to the newest member of the room.

It was weird having someone there that wasn’t the two of them, and it was even weirder because even after what he knew he still held a little hope that this man could save him. “He’s even cuter than he was in the pictures! Wow!” The man was beaming with a bright, pearly white smile, his hair blonde and warm. Hongbin himself was smiling brightly, as if proud over some expensive possession. Hakyeon glared them both down warily. “Hakyeonnie, this is my friend Jaehwan. He’ll be sleeping here tonight.” Great. A sleepover. His kidnapper was having a sleepover of all things. It was weird, especially because he barely considered before that Hongbin was anything near human.

Jaehwan strolled around the bed to the side Hakyeon was on, staring him down. “I guess you were right, the earrings do look good. Snakebites would be cute on him.” Hongbin shrugged a bit, falling back into an armchair in the other corner of the room. “Maybe next time. I have the studs I’d need for it.” More piercings, and ‘next time’ meant the next time he’d be back in that room… Hakyeon shuddered. Maybe he’d act a little better just so he wouldn’t be risking it. “His cheeks are so puffy! He’s so cute, seriously, I can’t handle it! I thought he might just crazy photoshop or something but he’s flawless!” The praise was getting uncomfortable. He once wanted to look attractive, using skin lighteners and cleaning up his face and hair twice daily. Now he wished he were uglier. This whole mess started because a creep on the internet thought he was pretty. 

Hongbin nodded happily. “You can play with him if you want. He’s probably tired of me right now anyway.” What..?! No..! He didn’t want anyone touching him ever again, especially like how Hongbin had before, no matter how good it felt. So when Jaehwan smiled and ran his finger over Hakyeon’s plush lower lip before pushing it into his mouth, lulling it over his tongue, he quickly turned his head away and looked at Hongbin with pleading eyes. “Master, I’m really hungry.” Jaehwan gave a small, disappointed whimper, but seemed a bit more merciful than Hongbin did at the moment. “I’ll play with him later, he probably won’t be as much fun if he’s hungry.” The man in the chair thought about this for a second before shrugging. “I guess so. Yeonie, you know what to do.” 

Hakyeon sighed. He hated meals, despite having just asked for one to avoid Jaehwan’s touch. He always felt so humiliated with just one person watching him, and now there were two. But either way, he didn’t know how much Hongbin cared about his image and didn’t want to disobey too much in case he’d throw a fit after Jaehwan left. He crawled across the bed to the bedside table, slipping the top drawer open and pulling out the cushy black handcuffs, keeping his eyes set down as he placed them down in front of him and sat impatiently on his knees. He just wanted to get this over with. 

Hongbin smiled and stood, pacing over and pulling Hakyeon’s hands behind his back, cuffing them there, then grabbing the plate of vegetables and placing it on the ground. “Alright, you have permission.” Hakyeon got to the floor, staring down at the plate. He knew they were both watching, Hongbin because he enjoyed seeing Hakyeon restrained and Jaehwan because he was genuinely curious. But the longer he took, the further he could push back whatever they had planned. Maybe he could even bore them so that they’d leave him alone. He leaned down and started to eat the crunchy, raw veggies with his eyes squeezed shut. 

“No hands, too?” Jaehwan asked with interest. “No hands. It just ensures control,” Hongbin replied with a shrug, as they both watched him eat in this embarrassing fashion as if they were watching something completely normal. Hakyeon finished as slowly as he could, chewing until there was nothing left on each piece of food, but to his dismay they were still there when he had finally finished. Hongbin took the plate and placed it on a small table far from the bed, but didn’t uncuff Hakyeon. “Get back on the bed now, pet, Jaehwan didn’t get to play with you yet.” Damn it… 

He was back on the bed now and long fingers had found their way back to his mouth. Did Jaehwan have a mouth fetish or something? Now the man was stroking the inside of his cheek… It was probably the weirdest thing he had ever felt, even after having something in his ass just the night before. “Has he ever sucked you off?” Jaehwan asked casually. Hongbin sighed a little. “No, I’m too worried that he’ll bite. He’s a little irrational, he’d do it no matter how I could punish him after.” Jaehwan’s gaze fell back to Hakyeon and their eyes met for a few seconds. Hakyeon couldn’t really talk, but he tried to express his pleading through his eyes. ‘Let me go.’ ‘Distract Hongbin.’ ‘Show me the exit.’ ‘Give me a weapon.’ Something…! But he just smiled and raised his other hand to rustle Hakyeon’s hair. “You’re even cuter when you look scared~” he chuckled, “Are you scared of what I’ll do to you, or are you just trying to trick me into feeling bad for you?” He let his eyes drop from the stranger’s gaze once that was said, glaring at the sheets below him as the finger was finally pulled from his mouth, Jaehwan analyzing the saliva on it. Both people in the room with him were evil creeps. He was screwed. 

Jaehwan wiped off his finger on his pants while laughing a bit. “Hongbin, how long has it been again?” 

“This is his fourth day here.” Four days… It had really only been four days..? Four days since he last saw Sanghyuk and Wonshik and even Taekwoon… It all felt like a dream, like this horrible situation had been going on forever and that was only a distant memory. Four days… Would he really be trapped here for the rest of his life? Were the police looking for him now? Surely Sanghyuk or Wonshik or someone would notice he was gone and call… Would they really find him and save him..? It felt so hopeless. “Ah, that makes sense then. I’m impressed, he’s already so well trained.” He didn’t want to be like this though… He didn’t want to be some obsessed man’s pet, he wanted to be back at school again with his friends, the hardest thing to worry about being whether Taekwoon would catch him looking at him, not whether he’d be beaten or fucked within the next hour. 

“Huh… I want to dress him up! Show me his wardrobe! Chop chop!” Both Hakyeon and Hongbin seemed plain confused on where this came from or why, but unlike Hakyeon who scowled towards the man who implied this, Hongbin smiled brightly and sung out, “Sure, hyung, I’ll uncuff him. Let’s go now.”

And after the cuffs were off, he was temporarily alone again. The silence was welcome, but the anticipation for them coming back was definitely not. As he shifted to go back under the blankets he saw something fall from his lap. His eyes went wide when he read the words written in sharpie on a small plastic bag. 

‘If you want out, you’re gonna have to trust me. Swallow what’s in this bag before we come back. You’ll just go to sleep for a bit, that way I can get you out. - Jaehwan.’

It had to be a lie. Jaehwan was a terrible person, and didn’t Hongbin mention that he drugged people at clubs..? No, the tiny blue pill was one hundred percent NOT going to get him out. Suddenly though someone was coming down the stairs… Jaehwan… but where was Hongbin..? “Don’t worry, kitty, your master is just picking out what you’re going to wear. I just wanted to check on you.” 

“Wh… what is this…” Hakyeon muttered shakily as the man approached, obviously knowing what he was talking about when he scooped up the plastic bag and unzipped it, dumping the blue pill into his hand. “Didn’t you read the message? Don’t worry, sweetheart. Just trust me.” Jaehwan then pushed his finger between Hakyeon’s lips again, holding his head with his other hand as Hakyeon tried to pull away and couldnt. Something bitter was on his tongue; probably the pill, and he didn’t want it, he seriously didn’t want it, whining in hopes that Hongbin would come in and stop Jaehwan. But it was literally being shoved down his throat now and he was gagging to try not to swallow it… His body did it for him, probably wanting Jaehwan’s finger to get out of his throat. Once the pill was down he immediately stuck his own finger down his throat. He’d throw it up, whatever it was he’d throw it up. Sanghyuk, being a psychology student, knew all about drugs like this, and Hakyeon had often looked over his shoulder at the pictures. This one didn’t look good, and he had to get it out of him. 

But his hand was yanked away and held tightly. “Calm down, you’ll feel good.” Hakyeon was shaking. He didn’t know what drugs did, he just knew what they looked like. He didn’t know what they’d do to him, how long it would last… What if he got addicted…?! What if it made him forget everything and they did bad things to him..?! He started to tear up. “Calm down,” Jaehwan repeated, holding his wrist firmly as he tried to tug away. Suddenly though there was a voice from the stairs.

“What’s wrong?” Jaehwan didn’t let go, smiling up almost too innocently at Hongbin who looked confused at Hakyeon’s suddenly panicked state. “Did he not like where you touched him?” 

“He dr…” Jaehwan’s hand was over his mouth. “Hush,” the man scolded at his muffled cries. Hakyeon didn’t even care anymore that Hongbin was terrible. If Jaehwan had to do that out of Hongbin’s view, then it was obvious that Hongbin didn’t want it happening. But the man at the staircase was approaching now. “No, move your hand. Let him tell me what’s wrong.” Jaehwan bit his lip a little and Hongbin raised an eyebrow. “I just… thought he shouldn’t be talking, especially with the outfit we picked out.” Hongbin seemed to be contemplating this before putting a hand on his hip. “That’s up to me to decide, he’s mine, not yours. Stop touching him.” Jaehwan glared at the floor, but released Hakyeon’s hand and mouth. “Tell me what’s wrong, kitten,” Hongbin said firmly.

“He drugged me,” Hakyeon replied with a trembling voice. He figured Hongbin wouldn’t believe him and was surprised when his ‘master’ shot his head towards his friend with a dark glare. “Did he now?” The hostage nodded quickly. “Did he?” Hongbin repeated, though his voice was lower. “Even after I told him not to? Even after I trusted him to be alone with you, my most prized possession? Even after I told him to leave his damned drugs at home? Did he?” Jaehwan shoved his hands in his pockets, glaring at the ground nastily. “Why can’t I get a turn with him? He’s cute and picturing him with glazed eyes under me is a nice image. You’re too much of a prude, lighten up, Hongbin. I’m the one who helped you get him in the first place.” Hongbin glared down his friend, gritting his teeth. “He’s MINE. I’m not open for sharing.”

“Then why’d you bring me over in the first place? Just to show off your new pet with a hands off sign? Do you know how hard it is to look at that cute face and not have it soaked with tears? To not have that mouth around my length?” 

“I know I’m damn well capable of kicking you out and never calling you again for what you did just now,” Hongbin replied angrily. Jaehwan didn’t seem phased. “Oh? And then what would you do? In just ten minutes you’re going to see him as happy and obedient as he’ll ever be. You get addicted to it, probably just as much as he will. I KNOW my drugs, I’m not going to charge my best friend to get some ass and I’m not going to give him something that’ll fuck him up long term. Just enjoy it! It’s not like he’ll hold it against you, he won’t even remember what happens!” 

He wanted to cry. He had been drugged. Of all things that he avoided… He was a dancer, his lungs needed to function properly, and drugs affected breathing. He needed to have energy; drugs affected your energy and your sleep. He didn’t want this. With this even after the police found him he’d be stuck… He already felt himself slipping, his eyes wanting to flutter closed, his body feeling lighter than it should, almost like he was floating... He was scared... 

“Give me twenty minutes. Just go upstairs and watch tv for twenty minutes and when you come back down I’ll leave and let you have the time of your life. I won’t touch him, I won’t hurt him, just trust me.” Hongbin was quiet as he contemplated what his friend said in frustration before spinning and making his way up the stairs. “If you’re lying you’ll never come back.” 

“Deal.”


	15. Morning After (Hakyeon/Hongbin)

It hurt. What hurt..... Hakyeon spent a good three minutes processing just that. His head hurt. His stomach. He was achy, and when he shifted the back of his thighs pressed harder against the mattress and it hurt. His ass hurt, and as he tried to figure why he hurt so bad he just hurt his head more overworking his brain. 

And then the nausea set in, only about five minutes after he woke up. He wanted to get up and rush to the bathroom but in his state of confusion he forgot about his chain until it was yanking his leg back, causing him to stumble to his knees. Hakyeon began to cry, something that he’d normally refrain from doing but now didn’t even consider holding back. He felt so emotional and in pain and sick and gross and confused and a big mess of things that he couldn’t handle. 

Hongbin walked in just in time to see his precious pet gagging up the last bit of his last meal, Hakyeon only finding himself crying harder because damn it now his throat hurt too and his mouth tasted disgusting. "Woah, Yeonie, are you okay...?!" He rushed up to the other male who was so distraught that he didn’t even brush off his kidnapper, curling up on the floor and sobbing but barely even being able to form words... Why was his mouth numb too...? And why was he so upset..? What was it even over?

Hongbin stroked his back until sure that he had spit up everything that he had left, immediately getting Hakyeon a big plastic bowl full of water and not even issuing the 'no hands' rule, not caring when the boy picked up the bowl and slurped its contents down because now his pained stomach was angry and empty; Why was his entire body mad at him like this....?

'Get a grip, Hakyeon,' he tried to tell himself. He was panicking and he needed to stop before Hongbin started feeling more annoyed than sympathetic. He'd think back to last night, try and go about this rationally to find why he was so achy and sick... He only panicked more when he realized that there was nothing there.

He usually had a good memory, usually could catch up eventually, but it was like the previous night hadn't even happened. The last thing he remembered was Jaehwan and the small plastic bag with the drugs.... the drugs. If Hongbin wasn’t holding him hostage he'd probably feel bad for the confused man, not knowing why the other was in such a state of trauma and illness. And currently he didn’t even care. He didn’t care that this man had locked him who knew where, he didn’t care that this man was crazy, he just needed someone to tell him it was alright because it felt like he was falling apart, like his heart was going to rupture any second from the weight of the situation. 

 

“I knew I shouldn’t have let him come here, look what he did to you…” Hongbin scowled, brushing Hakyeon’s obsidian strands out of his face. Hakyeon was sure that Hongbin must’ve done something to him too the previous night, that he wasn’t one to talk, but with no memory of the situation he couldn’t point fingers without risking getting the other man angry and defensive. “Maybe a bath will help..?” He nodded a little. Now that he thought of it, he wanted to be clean. He felt dirty and gross, something kind of sticky on his stomach under his shirt and all over his face, though he refused to even start to consider what that was. Because now that he wasn’t panicking quite so hard, he knew exactly what they had done, why he was so sore. And while it made him cry harder, he stayed in his right mind.

He was like any other college boy, he had urges, but he always considered waiting until he was married for his first time, that way they wouldn’t use him and leave him like he so often heard, like he always comforted Wonshik about when it had happened to him twice in a row. He always had those boyish daydreams about maybe even marrying Taekwoon someday, knowing that it wouldn’t happen when he couldn’t even speak to the athlete without panicking but the thought still being nice. He thought that would be his first time if anything. Not… not something that he didn’t even remember in the house of a stranger who was holding him hostage. He suddenly felt sick again, shoving Hongbin away before gagging up the water he had just drank. The man watched him with a pitiful gaze while he miserably wiped his lips before unhooking his chain, scooping him up bridal style, and carrying him to the bathroom. “Let’s clean you up and get you some medicine.” He nodded softly, curling up against the man’s strong chest. He needed comfort right now… he didn’t care who it came from. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hongbin was conflicted. 

 

Half of him was pissed off in the overbearing protective way while the other half was skippy and cheerful. Jaehwan had swore on his life that Hakyeon would wake up feeling fine, like it never even happened. He had been readily prepared to drive up to his friend’s house and carry out that swear when he found Hakyeon throwing up and sobbing on the floor until he realized that he wasn’t being pushed away like normal when he was stroking his lover’s back. He stirred the waters a bit further, picking the male up, and to his delight Hakyeon wasn’t flailing to get away from him. In fact it was quite the opposite, and when he felt the warm bundle of cuteness snuggling closer to his chest he had to look down to make sure it was actually happening and not just a fluke of his imagination. 

So he decided that Jaehwan would keep breathing for at least another few hours if this kept up. Hongbin ran the water, pulling Hakyeon’s shirt over his head. His pet was compliant, moving his hands up with the motion of the fabric so that it could be easily slipped off, only flinching slightly when Hongbin accidentally grazed his navel when popping the button of his jeans open. Hakyeon was quiet and obedient and Hongbin was finding himself liking it probably more than he should. While he did enjoy the sass, it got irritating after a while and he’d find himself going into fits of anger that he’d later regret. This way both of them were happier. 

 

The water was warm enough so he found himself helping Hakyeon up, escorting him to the tub since he seemed so caught up in his own thoughts that he barely was in reality. Hongbin wondered what he was thinking about. If he remembered the night before at all there would be no way he’d be this nice, that was unless he enjoyed it so much he actually wanted to be good. Hongbin somehow doubted that. But there was no way he’d be upset over something he didn’t remember, so what was going on? He didn’t ask, not wanting to ruin the moment they were having. 

He splashed water over Hakyeon’s head with the bowl the other had drank out of earlier, scrubbing at his back and sides with a washcloth. The slightly older male flinched and Hongbin slowed his strokes, realizing with a little sense of pride that there were purple splotches where Hongbin’s fingers had been on his curved, feminine hips. Still, he washed over the bruises gently… the bruises on his neck, the bruises on his collarbone, his hip, his thighs…. Hongbin wondered if he got a little too excited, but who wouldn’t? Hakyeon was gorgeous, and with his eyes slightly dopey and sleepy, his words slurred but not holding the hostility that they usually did, naked and sprawled out on the bed, whimpering under his touch… It would be impossible to restrain anyone from diving into a picture like that with a wave of excitement. 

 

Hakyeon suddenly tensed when he was scrubbing his arm. It wasn’t like there were any bruises there other than on his wrists, but those were always there and Hongbin was swiping the cloth over his forearm. He glanced up to see what was was wrong and followed chocolate eyes to the mirror… What was wrong? 

 

Oh… oh yeah. 

 

He must’ve grown accustomed to seeing Hakyeon like this from last night, and he honestly had assumed that the water he had dumped over the other male’s head would’ve washed all of the substance off of his face. But it didn’t, it didn’t barely at all, and now Hakyeon was staring at himself with a wince, his throat visibly waving as he swallowed at his wrecked, soiled appearance. A tear slowly streaked down his cheek, trailing a line through the crust and stickiness on his left cheek, Hongbin dropping the cloth to hug the other without caring that his shirt was getting soaked by the wet body in his arms. 

 

“Shh, it’s okay. You’re beautiful, even like this. Maybe even more like this. Don’t worry, I’ll always love you. Don’t worry, okay Yeonie?” Silence. If anything his words only seemed to make things worse for some reason, Hakyeon’s chest rising and falling unstably as he threatened to start crying again. Damn it… What was he supposed to do? So he gripped the tanned boy’s chin and forced his head away from the mirror towards the wall. “Close your eyes and don’t open them until I say you can,” he demanded calmly, as one would with any pet. And he did without a moment of hesitation passing.

 

Once Hakyeon was fully cleaned and dressed in fresh clothes, Hongbin decided to do something rash to try and lift the other’s spirits. “Do you want to see the rest of the house? A whole week in that one room must get boring. I had this house built just for you, so let’s explore it together, ne?” The dancer’s eyes were dull and his expression numb but when Hongbin gripped his wrist and started walking he followed gingerly behind. 

 

Hongbin decided to believe that the other’s silence was in awe and not in a dull wall of sadness he couldn’t penetrate to fix. “See? I got this big tv since I know you like to watch anime sometimes. And see all of these books? I know you love reading. I got all of your favorites and then some extras that you haven’t read before in case you get bored. And notice how there’s this big empty space here in the middle? How the floor is smooth wood? This is so you can dance, although I also made you a studio for that. I’d love to watch again someday if you feel up to it.” Hongbin found himself smiling at Hakyeon’s miniscule reactions, the way his eyes flickered with longing at the bookshelf, how they blinked up at him in barely-expressed surprise at the thought of dancing again. 

 

He lead Hakyeon to the huge kitchen, explaining that he’d take the locks off of the drawers when Hakyeon adjusted a bit more. He showed him the big bathroom with the extra large shower, deciding he didn’t yet need to mention that soon they’d be showering together like any other romantically inclined couple. Hongbin saved the best for last though, opening a door of thick glass. This was the closest to happy that he could expect from Hakyeon, this awe as the other male gazed around the room.

 

There were no lights, instead the room was lit by natural sunlight. That had been a pain in the ass, making the ceiling so high so that Hakyeon would have no chance of breaking through the window, making the window discrete from the outside so that if anyone were to trespass they wouldn’t see a gaping square of glass in the ground. The dancer was frozen in the entryway, staring up at the sunlight that he hadn’t seen in so long, his eyes hungering to be out in the warmth of the summer again. Unfortunately, Hongbin couldn’t give him that, couldn’t risk it no matter how good he’d grow to be. It didn’t matter. Hakyeon could get used to never going outside again. It wasn’t like he stayed outside regularly in the first place. 

 

After a few minutes he found himself growing bored, so he pulled his lover further into the room. The floors were waxed like any dance room’s floors should be, two perpendicular walls fully coated with floor to ceiling mirror. That had been a pain too, finding a seller who could make mirrors so large that wouldn’t shatter under a force that Hakyeon could throw. A speaker ran up into each wall, though the entire room (even the glass ceiling) was soundproofed, something that cost an exceptional amount of money that Hongbin didn’t hesitate to spend on his lover’s happiness. “I knew you’d need a good space to practice,” Hongbin muttered softly as Hakyeon slowly paced through the room, shocked and still slightly dazed from his previous anxiety attack leaving him numb to any form of strong emotion like the hatred and anger he normally felt against Hongbin. Instead all he could do was take note at how much effort it must’ve taken to make a room like this… just for him… 

 

After fifteen more minutes Hongbin was waving to usher them out. “This’ll be your reward. Be good and you’ll be able to go anywhere in the house you want whenever you want, including your studio. Then you can dance whenever you want.” And Hakyeon was nodding softly, taking this to note. However even in his dulled state, Hongbin knew entirely why the other male was suddenly so downcast again… 

Because Hongbin had also put effort into making the trapdoor blend in perfectly with the ceiling until opened and the ladder was hidden in a secret closet near it… meaning that Hakyeon, who for sure had been looking, wouldn’t have seen any form of exit. He cuffed the other’s ankle back to the bed, rustled his hair, and declared that he was going to get some medicine and some lunch, finding himself grinning broadly. Everything was falling into place beautifully.


	16. If You Can't Do It... (Sanghyuk)

-A week later- 

 

“Hyuk-ah, you need to eat…” 

Taekwoon was never someone he’d expect to be talking to him unless it was necessary; On the social ranking charts, he was way far above Sanghyuk. And yet now Taekwoon was almost always with them, spending days at school and sleeping over at Wonshik and Sanghyuk (and Hakyeon)’s apartment every other night. 

“Like you’re one to talk. Don’t pretend like you’ve been eating either,” Sanghyuk snapped back. He knew it was rude and after he said it he felt bad, but he didn’t have the motivation to open his mouth to apologize. Taekwoon bowed his head a little, taking in a deep, trembling breath. It had been two weeks. Two weeks since Hakyeon had gone missing. And what had the police come to them with earlier today? 

“I’ve called you three into the office because the police are here to question you about Hakyeon,” the principal said rather stoically, as if he’d rather the three students be spending their school time in classes. Wonshik had been skipping almost every class he had now and while they couldn’t punish him in college, the principal did call him in a few times to try and convince him to go back, try to convince them all to do their best work. He had given up over the two weeks that had passed.

Because they were all way too worried to focus. Taekwoon had stopped showing up to practice; the only reason why he wasn’t kicked from the team for his lack of effort was because he was the best player and because the coach knew what he was going through. Sanghyuk failed his first test and completely missed the second one… coming from a straight A student with a passion for psychology. 

“We’ve already been questioned by the police, four times now. Have they actually FOUND anything or are we just wasting our time here?” Sanghyuk snapped. He was usually kind and respectful but lately he found himself snapping at almost everyone who didn’t tiptoe around him. He felt bad, he felt mean, and he knew that none of the others had asked for Hakyeon to be kidnapped or anything but… but he felt so helpless, being unable to do anything for his best friend but sit and wait. 

“Just go in, Mr. Han. Things will go faster if you do what the police say, and I’m sure they’ll find Mr. Cha as soon as possible.” 

It turned out that there really was nothing. After thirty minutes of being re-asked the same questions as last time, Taekwoon finally brought up what Sanghyuk was holding back. “You keep asking the same questions. Have you actually found anything? We DO have the right to know, so why aren’t we hearing anything?” The officer was silent. Wonshik was a bit more polite than the other two. “Can… can you bring Jungkook here by chance? I think… we’d be more comfortable hearing this from him.” 

Twenty minutes later the young officer they had requested was bowing to the three seated students upon entering the room, his expression distressed. “I’m sorry.”

“You’re… sorry…?” Sanghyuk recited in confusion. Jungkook sat down across from them looking tired and miserable. “We’ve checked everything. We even had people in China looking into his mother. We went through his social media and… and nothing. We inspected all of his followers and none of them are suspicious enough to be suspects. His mother is clear too.” 

Sanghyuk was a psychology student, and while he focused more on medications and disorders, he knew enough about kidnapping cases. “I know you’re not saying what you’re all suspecting because you don’t want to upset us.” Taekwoon and Wonshik looked at him in surprise and mild confusion before glancing back to Jungkook for an answer. The officer simply sighed before slowly replying.

“They… we… don’t think that this is quite what we suspected at first. Most kidnappings are actually done by someone who’s close to the victim, a relative, a friend of a friend, that sort of thing. But we’ve looked into everyone like that and we’ve found nothing. Secondly, we looked into someone who may be obsessed with him. The internet isn’t safe, and with Hakyeon being so popular it’s definitely worth suspecting that one of his followers got a little too attached….”

Taekwoon swallowed at the thought of that. An old creep who had Hakyeon locked up somewhere. “But see, while those options both sound bad, they’re the most common, AND they’re the ones that we have to hope for. But… it’s not looking like that. Secondly we have to look at motive. They haven’t asked for a ransom, so it’s not money. Some people just… damn it I don’t want to say this to you… There are some crazies out there that’ll pick up attractive males or females off of the street and get out their… their filthy thoughts on them…”

Sanghyuk expected this answer, but it didn’t stop his chest from tightening in pain. Jungkook was mentioning what he himself had been finding through countless late nights of his own research on the topic lately. Kidnappers who pick up attractive individuals, take them and do whatever gross thing is on their mind, whether that’s sex or torture or roleplay or whatever, then kill them if they get too unruly or if the kidnapper gets bored. It’s a tightrope for the victim because if they get too feisty they’re killed, and yet if they fall right into line and stay obedient the kidnapper’ll get bored and kill them too, moving on to a more entertaining target. 

Taekwoon and Wonshik were both silent as Jungkook continued. “We… we think it might be one of those cases. And we’ve looked. Damn it we’ve looked everywhere we can think, but cases like these are hard to find because he could be anywhere, the back of a store, a warehouse, even some residential home in some suburban neighborhood. We just… we don’t know. This city is too big and legally we can’t just barge into places without a warrant. So… so we’re stuck. I hate to tell you and the other officers refuse to but we’re stuck. We went through his phone data, there’s nothing suspicious, he was just heading home according to his texts. He had no plans to meet up with anyone… I don’t know guys… I’m really sorry.”

“I don’t eat because I can’t AFFORD it, Sanghyuk, you know the money needs to go to my siblings. It's not like I have to when I’m not working out anymore. But you need to.” 

“I doubt Hakyeon’s able to eat whenever like that right now. I doubt whoever took him is letting him eat much at all. Damn it he’s probably already dead and we’re just worrying over nothing...” 

“Shut the fuck up.” Sanghyuk was startled to say the least. Sure he had been pessimistic and pissy and he really shouldn’t have said that, but it had been on his mind for days now. As time passed the chances that Hakyeon wasn’t even alive anymore were rising steadily. Kidnappers rarely kept their victims alive for long unless they were waiting for a ransom, which whoever this was wasn’t. Hakyeon would die alone in some rutty place, waiting to be saved and never even being found until his body was ditched in a lake somewhere. Sanghyuk had cried to this thought by the hour. 

But Taekwoon looked livid, as if he were restraining himself from just decking the younger student. “He’s alive and we both know it. He’s stronger than that.”

“Taekwoon, do you know how fucking stupid you sound saying that? You could be the mentally strongest person on earth and it wouldn’t help you. Hakyeon is physically weak, he’s not gonna be able to fight off whoever took him. Kidnappers don’t mess around. If he runs he’ll be killed, if he acts up he’ll be killed, in all these situations he’ll be killed so why can we just happily assume he’s alive?!” He was crying now, rising to his feet to storm up to the slightly shorter male, glaring daggers into Taekwoon’s surprised eyes. “He’s probably scared, he’s probably starving, he’s probably being forced into horrible crap and you know what, there’s nothing we can do about it! We don’t have any leads, even the police who are dedicated to this exact situation don’t know! He’s gone Taekwoon! He’s fucking gone until they find his body somewhere and he’ll die scared and lonely and there is NOTHING we can do!” 

And Taekwoon was screaming even louder than he was. “Yeah he’ll be dead if you keep moping like that!! If the police can’t fucking find him then why don’t you get off your ass and help me instead of searching up stupid shit to get yourself all worked up?! You’re just looking into these serial killer situations, you don’t have even a little faith in him, in God, in anything?! I refuse to believe he’s dead, and if you were a good fucking friend you’d believe that too!” Taekwoon spun to storm out but Sanghyuk had had enough, grabbing the elder by the arm and jerking him back, punching him hard in the face. “Take that back, damn it!” Sanghyuk yelled, Taekwoon jerking his arm away and throwing it at the other.

Wonshik ran into the room to find the two rolling on the ground, slamming their fists into each other. It wasn’t until he was screaming at the top of his lungs and ripping Sanghyuk off of Taekwoon that they finally calmed down enough to stop, both of the students in tears, both with big red marks all over their bodies from the hits. Sanghyuk had blood running in a constant flow from his nose, Taekwoon had a little dribbling down his chin from a clean shot to his lip… And Wonshik was pissed.

“Both of you get your shit together! Taekwoon is right, we need to start searching for him ourselves. We can’t blame the police for not finding anything if we haven’t made an effort to help. And Sanghyuk is right too, that research is important and could help us find a lead. So both of you just… just shut up and calm down!” Wonshik pushed them both down onto the bed, both guilty males bowing their heads in silence. “Now tonight we’re going to search this town like crazy, ask around about anything and everything. It’ll be suspicious and we probably won’t get anywhere but that doesn’t matter because there’s a tiny chance that we’ll find SOMETHING. We’re GOING to save Hakyeon, and if you two are going to butt heads the whole time then I’ll just do it alone.”

Silence ticked on for what felt like ten full minutes and was probably only maybe two before anyone was replying. “Let’s… let’s go back to the area around Hana Market… The police searched there, sure, but we haven’t.” Taekwoon’s suggestion was reasonable and even Sanghyuk agreed despite still being pissed at the athlete. Wonshik nodded softly before making his way out of the room. “Let’s go then.”

The sun was low on the horizon, blocked out by looming trees. Even now, before it was night, the pathway was dark. Sanghyuk could see mild flickers of lights from the convenience store Hakyeon must have gone to, but other than that it was entirely dark. The perfect place to kidnap someone. 

They all came prepared for that though, and all three of the boys flicked on their flashlights at the same time and started looking around. The path was elevated slightly, ditches to each side leading to walls of forest. The road was made of gravel, a walking trail, and cars wouldn’t pass by, though there was a parking lot nearby to some shutdown theater. 

“There was no way that the guy who grabbed him walked all the way back to wherever he stays,” Wonshik speculated, “It was only nine at night, and Jungkook told me that there was a little blood on some of the pebbles. Carrying an unconscious, bleeding person would draw out too much suspicion.” Sanghyuk nodded. He found a few stray beads from Hakyeon’s necklace still lying around. It gave him mild hope, even though they in no way helped the three. Though they were separated they were still within conversing distance, and they did just that. “Did they analyze the blood? Maybe it was the kidnapper’s…” Taekwoon sighed when Wonshik responded. “They checked. It was Hakyeon’s... but it was just a little. He probably scraped something when… when they were struggling.” 

A few more minutes passed before they all grouped back together. “Nothing,” Sanghyuk sighed, rubbing his eyes after they had all announced the same thing, that not a thing had been found. Then the youngest remembered something. “Wonshik, you said the guy must not have carried him too far right? So he must’ve had a car somewhere. These ditches are too deep and the trees are too thick, it couldn’t have been here, and the Hana parking lot lights are too bright anywhere else except…”

And they all turned their gaze to the theater parking lot. It was the only place that had no street lamps, no employees, and no business. It was perfect. They all agreed in silence to go check the place out. 

Another hour passed of just searching. The parking lot was huge, much bigger than the small trail they had previously searched, but it was worth searching every inch. Jungkook never mentioned here, which means that the police never considered it. There was a higher chance to find something in an area that the police hadn’t even done a look through of. It was creepy, being in the dark with only three flashlights. Sometimes Wonshik or Taekwoon would accidentally flash their light on his back, making a shadow that would make him jump in surprise. They had nothing to be afraid of, it wasn’t like the kidnapper was just waiting for them… but it was still scary somehow. Hyuk held his wits together though. 

They were about to call it quits. In fact they had all gathered back together, disappointment evident in their expressions, about to start walking home. They wouldn’t have even noticed the empty bottles discarded against the theater wall until Hyuk almost fell on his face tripping over a glass one. Once they made sure he was alright, Wonshik shined a light at the thing… and found a few more like it. 

An empty glass bottle with a brown tint, the thing Sanghyuk had tripped over. A gallon sized container of bleach, still mostly full once Taekwoon shook it a bit to find out. Sanghyuk knelt down and lifted the third container, smaller but unfamiliar. “100% acetone… Namjoon’s hardware…?” Wonshik was flipping out his phone, typing furiously while Taekwoon thought hard. “Namjoon’s hardware isn’t even in this town. I saw it when working construction in the town next door to here. It looked like one of those small shops that are run by some family.” 

Suddenly Wonshik was dropping to his knees beside them, holding out his phone. “Look. This stuff is used in chloroform. He must’ve done it right here.” And they were all staring at the bottles. So this was where Hakyeon had been knocked out…? This spot.. Sanghyuk pictured it in his head, his friend struggling until slowly calming down in some creepy man or woman’s arms just like in the movies. Taekwoon’s words thankfully snapped him out of it before his imagination ran too wild. “It’s a good thing we’re wearing gloves. Wonshik, can you grab the bag? We need to take these to the police, maybe they have fingerprints.” 

After being sure to have the bottles safely bagged in Wonshik’s backpack, they decided to go to sleep and head to the next town the next day to question the employees of Namjoon’s shop, but not before calling Jungkook. The officer was sleepy and scolded them for trying to explore on their own, telling them not to get involved, that it wasn’t safe, but he said that he was glad for the evidence and that they’d need to drop it off at the station the next day. Sanghyuk was hopeful now. They had found something, something that could identify the kidnapper, and they might have more leads the next day. He couldn’t sleep, but this time it wasn’t out of worry, but excitement. They might just find Hakyeon.

 

...The excitement was gone by noon the next morning. “Namjoooooonnnn, where you at?!” The employee at the front counter was crazy. Someone walked out, but obviously not who the man expected to see. “Ey Suga, go find Namjoon! These kids are asking for him or somethin... “ The blonde male rolled his eyes and turned but then the brunette at the counter was yelling again. “Wait no no no come back! They might wanna question you too!” 

“Damn it, Hoseok, do I look like I care?” The man apparently named Suga groaned, gripping his head. These people were a complete mess. Suga walked over despite what he said, sighing as he shoved the guy named Hoseok out of the way and took his place on the stool he was previously sitting on. “How can we help you,” Suga mumbled, though he barely seemed to want to be having a conversation. “We wanted to ask about the people who have bought pure acetone recently,” Taekwoon replied quietly.

“Why?” Suga didn’t seem to actually care, but his suspicion got the three boys tense, and he could sense that. “Whatever, I don’t want to know. If Namjoon asks though tell him that you’re undercover cops or students doing a survey or whatever, you guys are terrible at making a cover.” Sanghyuk swallowed. They should’ve expected to be asked something like that. That could’ve gone really, really bad if it were someone who wasn’t sporting a hangover and an annoying friend trying to share the tiny stool with them. 

Suga did some typing, it taking a bit since he kept having to move his left hand to shove Hoseok off of his lap, but soon he was scribbling something down onto a notepad. “I swear if I see your faces on the news over this I’m kicking your asses. I go through enough shit here to get fired for giving out customer information.” The three bowed in thanks before looking at what he had written down. “These are the names of the people who have bought it…” He glanced at the sheet himself, already forgetting what it said “...after July 15th but before August 15th. Sanghyuk ran down the list. Ten people. They could manage with that. It didn’t seem to be such a popular item, but then again it didn’t seem to be such a popular store. 

They took the note and thanked Suga before making their way back to their own town. “Okay, so we just need to look into these ten people then,” Taekwoon muttered, slipping out his phone and going to facebook before Sanghyuk was gripping his wrist. “We should let the police handle it from now on. Really, we’re gonna be seen as suspects if we keep snooping into this.” Taekwoon was glaring again. “They’re not going to do anything. They have other cases they’re focusing on and they’ve already pretty much determined him a lost cause if you heard what Jungkook said. We have to do this or no one will.” Sanghyuk sighed but sat back.

It was an hour drive. “I don’t think it’s Park Jiyoung. He’s been on vacation with his husband for the past few weeks, pictures included and his friends replying to it normally. Not Amber Liu either, she ordered it online from America for some reason.” By the time they were pulling into the driveway, Taekwoon had narrowed the list down to five. Five people… and one of them was surely Hakyeon’s kidnapper. “We’ll find this guy in no time at this rate, Wonshik smiled, his smile dropping as there was a tap at the car’s window. They all slowly turned… to see Jungkook with raised eyebrows. Wonshik rolled down the window slowly, all of their expressions full of guilt and surprise. It was no wonder Jungkook had to say what he did. 

“An officer saw you all leaving Namjoon’s hardwear in the town over… which surely by coincidence is where one of those bottles was bought from.” Sanghyuk swallowed. Damn it, police everywhere, eyes always watching. “Get out of the car. I need to have a serious talk with all of you about WHY we don’t want you getting involved.” Jungkook seemed pissed, and they all stepped into their own home like it was an interrogation office.


	17. Rabbit and Tiger (Hakyeon)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double update, please read the previous chapter if you haven't

Two weeks. He had counted the days. Two whole weeks… It felt like months. 

Hakyeon was, as sick as it seemed, starting to grow accustomed to the schedule that Hongbin regularly kept. The man decided that he was tired of sleeping on the couch, so that Saturday he had decided that the best course of action to keep Hakyeon from killing him in his sleep was to handcuff Hakyeon to the top of the bed frame and tighten his chain to the bedpost, leaving him barely able to sleep. He wanted to be irritated or grossed out that Hongbin would hug him in his sleep, would kiss at his neck to wake him up, but he was becoming more and more apathetic by the day. Hongbin seemed giddy about it, saying that he was ‘finally adjusting to his new life.’ He believed it fully. Two weeks and no police… He was sure that if they had ever been searching for him, by now they had stopped. 

He had a dream last night that Sanghyuk and Wonshik hadn’t even put a search warrant out, that they just shrugged his disappearance off as him impulsively running away like he always threatened to do when he was upset at them. He woke up in tears, tears that Hongbin had kissed away with soft words of comfort. It was weird how his dreams felt so much like reality, and for some reason he found himself more upset at his friends than at Hongbin, as if they really had just left him, as if they had left him with this man. But recently that was all Hongbin was… just a man. Not a kidnapper, not a lunatic… Just some guy who he was living with for the rest of his life in somewhat degrading conditions. He was adjusting. 

Because as long as he wasn’t a brat, Hongbin was kind to him. He’d hold him when he cried, made sure he ate regular meals, even tasty ones. He was used to the no-hands rule now too, not even needing the handcuffs as he just held his hands behind his back. If Hongbin didn’t want him touching the food he didn’t care. As long as the man was happy with him he wouldn’t get hurt, and his pride was something that seemed miniscule and stupid by this point. “You’re such a good boy, Yeonie,” Hongbin cooed, rustling his hair as he chewed on a piece of chicken before leaning down to pick up another one between his lips. He didn’t even care anymore. Comfort was comfort, kindness was kindness, and he felt so distant from his previous life that it was like it had never existed, leading him to miss it softly, but not to the point where he was sobbing over it night by night anymore.

He was allowed to roam around the house during the day, and he did just that. He’d go to the studio and dance until he realized that Hongbin was watching through the glass door, when he’d go and shower. His collar was such a commonplace thing that when Hongbin took it off to bathe him (which the man insisted on doing personally rather than letting Hakyeon do it himself) the lack of mild pressure on his throat felt weird and uncomfortable. He chuckled one night when he realized what he had become, sucking up to this man, not being offended or even disgusted by the situation at hand. It wasn’t like he could do anything about it though….

There was no exit. That was one thing that still bothered him. While he was adjusting to this lifestyle, the life of a pet and the life of a forced husband combined, he would be ready to leave in an instant. But he searched the entire house, not even caring to make sure Hongbin wasn’t looking, pressing on walls and pulling open drawers right in front of the man, who watched him like watching a child search for a hidden toy. Nothing. No secret doors, no tunnels, no rooms behind the wardrobe. Hongbin had to get out somehow, how else would he resupply food and things? Meat was fresh, not canned, so he had to have gone to the store recently to get the fresh ingredients. So how did he get out…? 

Jaehwan also visited again. This time he didn’t try the drugs again, seeming aware of the change in the situation, aware that Hakyeon was obedient now, that he was doing what Hongbin said now and he didn’t need to be drugged to give a blowjob now even if he’d be pissy and crying over it ten minutes after. It was weird how normal Hakyeon had felt that day, sitting on Hongbin’s lap on the couch, a fake fox tail slipped through his pants and held to his body through a plug. It was weird that this was even slightly normal to him, and he tried, he tried so hard to go back to feeling panicked and fearful and disgusted but he felt nothing. Just… just empty. Hongbin would kiss him and he’d kiss back almost robotically. It wasn’t even him faking it to get an opportunity to leave, though he’d do that if he somehow had the energy that he did at first again. He just didn’t care anymore. His body was Hongbin’s, his mind was his own, and it seemed like such a fair division that, again, it seemed normal. The collar, the leash, the plug, the chains, the way Hongbin would drink too much and scream at him, beat him. And he’d sit through all of it with a blank expression, simply muttering ‘sorry, master’ and ‘thank you, master,’ ‘I’m cold, master’ and ‘I’m hungry, master’ as if it was all that was remaining programmed into his vocal cords. 

 

-    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -

“It’s pretty. I didn’t know you could draw this well.”

‘That’s the first thing I’ve heard about you NOT knowing something about me.’ Hakyeon decided not to sass, as he had been deciding for the past week. Hongbin had given him a marker and a sketchbook after he had hurt his ankle ‘dancing’ (Hongbin never remembered his drunken sprees. He wouldn’t remember grabbing Hakyeon to have sex with him and pulling him so hard on his chain that his ankle was dislocated) and couldn’t walk for a bit. However he had grown bored with the paper and instead found himself doodling mindlessly on Hongbin’s arm. The man was tipsy, a good state between his normal unstable self and the violent side that always came out when he had a few more drinks than he did today. Hongbin seemed to drink a lot, but as usual as of late, Hakyeon didn’t really care.

He drew flowers, the face of a rabbit peeking through the brush, the entire picture wrapping around Hongbin’s forearm like the start of a sleeve. The man chuckled, “A bunny. Cute, like you.” He rolled his eyes when he was sure the man was too focused on the art to notice. Hongbin was an idiot when he drank. He travelled up Hongbin’s arm with the marker, his specific drawings turning into random pattern and designs, whatever was on his mind. He wasn’t even paying attention until he zoned back in and realized what he had drawn with miserable amusement. A drawn chain was wrapping around Hongbin’s upper arm. A chain. So this was what his subconscious was thinking about. It made sense. With the collar that was almost always on a leash that would just hang in front of him to the handcuffs he’d be put in before bed every night, chains seemed to be his life symbol lately. 

He got around to Hongbin’s back, the man laughing that he better not put ‘kick me’ or anything there…. And that was when Hakyeon got the idea. He mentally thanked Hongbin, in his distance from reality he wouldn’t have even considered it until the man brought to mind that he could write something that Hongbin didn’t want. Something that people could notice… in a place where Hongbin couldn’t hide it. So he doodled some more. Hongbin would be able to feel it if he started to actually write, so it had to be subtle. 

“Whatcha drawing back there?” Hongbin asked and Hakyeon replied softly, slowly. “A tiger, master. You seemed reluctant about the rabbit so I was drawing something stronger for you.” Hongbin turned around, kissing Hakyeon deeply and suddenly. “You’re such a sweet boy, Hakyeon. My sweet, sweet Yeon.” He didn’t care anymore when Hongbin pressed his tongue into his mouth, even responding a bit because it wasn’t like he could avoid it so he might as well make the most of it. But while Hongbin was too drunkenly focused on his body, on palming Hakyeon’s length through his sweatpants, the dancer was a little more level headed, and as he curled his arms around Hongbin’s neck with a soft whine of pleasure, he managed to scribble two words onto the upper neck of the man who mistook it for the other male’s searching fingers, right above where the shirt collar would block but right below the hairline, a place where he hoped someone would see and question. 

“CHA HAKYEON.”


	18. 'Who..?' (Sanghyuk and Hakyeon)

Jungkook scolded them for a full hour, though after about twenty minutes he was just repeating himself. “I’ve seen it constantly, kids going out and looking for their friends only to be killed or captured themselves. You can’t just do that! We have training, we can handle it! No, Taekwoon, don’t even open your mouth! I’m serious guys! You could get hurt, and we want as few casualties as possible.” Sanghyuk found himself siding with Taekwoon more the more the officer rambled. “Okay, so we’re supposed to sit back. Oh right, hadn’t you guys all given up on this? Saying there was no evidence? Evidence that we found in A NIGHT? What about that ‘we have no suspects’ thing, well now we’ve got just five people that could’ve done it! Who cares if we get a little hurt, it’s better than Hakyeon dying!” 

But soon they just had to pretend like they were sorry to get the officer off of their asses. There wasn’t anything that explaining could do, the police weren’t going to hear it, not even the officer that they had put their trust in. All three of the students sighed at the same time before Sanghyuk shot up. “I’m going back to Namjoon’s.” 

“What?” Even Taekwoon was surprised now. “That’s right. I’m gonna see if they can explain what these five people looked like, if they had a reason to buy it. A lot of customers will ramble about why they need something.” 

“But Jungkook…” Sanghyuk was cutting Wonshik off before he could barely speak. “Who cares?! Taekwoon was right, the police aren’t going to help. So let’s do it ourselves.”

So they drove the full two hours there, not even ten minutes after Jungkook had lectured them to just go back to school and try to fix their sinking grades. Now all three of the students were on the same agreement: They wouldn’t rest until they found Hakyeon. 

A new person was working at the front desk, at least someone that wasn’t familiar. Wonshik approached the counter first. “Hi. We were here a few hours ago…” He didn’t even really get to finish. “Ah, Suga was telling me about you guys. Research project right?” Poor Wonshik was a terrible liar, but thankfully Taekwoon wasn’t. “That’s right. We were wondering if we could talk to the person we were talking to before though… You know, to keep things consistent.” The man shrugged. “Sure, but he’s on break. Could you wait a bit? He should be back within ten minutes.” Taekwoon nodded, glancing down at the man’s nametag. ‘Namjoon.’ So this was the owner of the store then? “Alright, sure. Thank you, Namjoon-ssi.” The man smiled and they all went to sit outside, waiting for Suga to come back. 

“Why couldn’t we have just asked him?” Sanghyuk asked curiously. Taekwoon seemed to know his way about lying and dodging better than they did (He probably had to due to his family situation) so they let him take charge, but that didn’t mean Sanghyuk didn’t want to know. He was an inspired psychology student after all, he took interest in how people worked and functioned. “Think about it. The way Suga talked about him before made it seem like he’s a very good person… Which is great. But it’s illegal to give out customer information. If we asked for it it would put Suga under suspicion and blow our cover.” Hyuk honestly kind of liked this, playing detective, even though there was an actual full risk and reason behind it. Maybe he’d be a detective himself when he graduated. It sounded like a good way to go. 

A black car pulled up, a man stepping out of it. The car was nice and new, shiny and of a foreign model, and they all found themselves staring. It was rare to see something so nice in this sort of small town or even in the town they lived in. The man who got out was extremely handsome as well, brunette hair dusted over his forehead, a white buttondown and black slacks indicating that he was probably an office worker despite only being around their age. “He’s hot,” Hyuk muttered to Wonshik, who coughed a bit. Sanghyuk rarely held his tongue when it came to people, but he had more self control than Wonshik so that, in his opinion, sort of gave him the right to be able to speak his mind. The man walked past and they found themselves following him with their eyes…. 

Wait… What…

The door closed behind the man and Taekwoon slowly muttered under his breath. “I wasn’t the only one… who saw that right… on his neck…” Wonshik slowly shook his head. “I thought I was going crazy but…” Before Sanghyuk had the chance to say that he had seen it as well, the writing on the man’s neck in very, very familiar handwriting, Taekwoon was whipping his phone out. 

“Hey, didn’t Jungkook take that list from you?” Sanghyuk asked when he saw a piece of paper with five names scribbled down. Taekwoon rolled his eyes. “Always have a backup,” he muttered before quickly tapping away on his phone before gritting his teeth and scribbling on the sheet with his pen. “Guys…” Sanghyuk peeked over Taekwoon’s broad shoulder and froze upon seeing that every name was scratched out but one, Taekwoon’s phone’s screen turning black after a minute of lack of use. “H… how are you sure…?” Wonshik stuttered a bit. Taekwoon’s response was dark. “Every other person on this list has a picture on their profile. This man’s name doesn’t, but it does have a picture of a car….” They all slowly looked to the brand new black car in the parking lot… And Taekwoon was standing, about to storm inside the building. 

“No, Taekwoon, hold on!” Sanghyuk hissed in a whisper while both him and Wonshik held the athlete back with quite a bit of difficulty. “Damn it, if he knows we’ve found him he’ll just move Hakyeon and we’ll lose him again!” At this Taekwoon slowed, but the fact that he was writhing with anger was evident, and even Sanghyuk found himself shuddering a bit with fear of Taekwoon’s glare. “We… We’ll follow him back and get Hakyeon out,” Wonshik offered, but Taekwoon shook his head furiously, sitting back down again and clenching his fists so tightly that his knuckles were white. “No, he’ll catch on. He doesn’t seem like an idiot, he has like no information of himself online, which means that he’s unbelievably careful. He’ll notice us and move Hakyeon.” The three sighed. They were so close. “We should just go to the police…” Sanghyuk mumbled, and they all found themselves nodding. “But he has to be close…” Wonshik mumbled. “For the man to come here, Hakyeon has to be close enough for him to drive, probably within an hour.” This gave them hope. Hakyeon was nearby, not in some foreign country or province. The police could use this information to start searching for him again. 

“But to have Hakyeon’s name on his neck… Do you think Hakyeon wrote it there…? He didn’t seem to notice…” Taekwoon suddenly realized something and his stare went dark again. “What?” Wonshik asked, both friends realizing the athletes sudden fury. “Why wouldn’t that man realize that he was being written on? Either he was asleep… or Hakyeon was in a position where touching him would be expected.” Sanghyuk didn’t understand. “So..?”

“So I saw this with my sisters and my asshole father. For Hakyeon to have done that in secret he’d have to have his hands around that guy’s neck.” Wonshik’s eyes slowly went wide before he buried his face in his hands. “No way… He’s not really…” When the man walked out, Sanghyuk had to hug Taekwoon tightly and shove his face into his shoulder so that they just looked like a couple, not conspicuous. Because Sanghyuk knew the man was observant and knew damned well that the anger radiating off of Taekwoon would be felt by everyone and he couldn’t see Taekwoon glaring him down without getting suspicious. As the man got into the car and drove away, Taekwoon murmured something quietly, something that made Sanghyuk grit his teeth with worry.

“I’ll fucking kill him.”

\--------------------------------------------------------------

“We told you kids to stay out of it!” The police chief wasn’t even listening. “Yeah, and we didn’t, that’s not a crime!” Sanghyuk growled back. “We haven’t done anything that could risk the search effort that you’re not even putting out anymore! We just have more information!” The middle aged man looked pissed to say the least. At first he had claimed that they had it all under control, but they saw past that lie in a heartbeat. “You don’t know anything about where Hakyeon is, and we have a prime suspect. Hakyeon’s name was fucking written in Hakyeon’s handwriting on the back on his neck! What more can you get out of that?!” 

“And do you have proof? A picture? A video?” Sanghyuk fell silent. They hadn’t taken any pictures… He realized that they should have. The police chief wasn’t believing a word they were saying. “Honestly you three are more suspects than that man! How did you even get his name?” Taekwoon glared at the ground but bit his lip. “That’s right, it probably wasn’t a legal method. While I’m not going to press on that since I know you three are just desperate, you need to just drop it and let us handle it.”

“That man is fucking touching him, officer, I have no doubt. What are the charges for that, rape, kidnapping, it may turn into murder if the stupid police don’t get off their asses and…”

“Taekwoon, stand up, we’re leaving.” Jungkook was in the door, looking urgent and furious. The athlete opened his mouth to protest but the police chief was fuming at what he had said and he decided he was probably safer to just leave the room before his mouth got him into any more trouble. Sanghyuk and Wonshik watched him leave with a little fear for what kind of lecture he was about to sit through. “Sir… What our friend was trying to say…” Wonshik started, but was quickly interrupted. 

“I don’t care! You boys don’t know what you’re dealing with. We’re sure this is a kidnapping, which means that whoever kidnapped Cha Hakyeon is probably dangerous and willing to do it again. If you three meddle too much he could kill you, he could take you as well, we just don’t know! We don’t even have proof that Hakyeon is still alive or even in this country, many kidnappers with no motive like that are selling the people they kidnap into sexual slavery, we just don’t know!” Wonshik stood up and marched out the door, having heard enough. Sanghyuk glared the officer down. He didn’t have to mention something that terrible in regards to their best friend, they KNEW that Hakyeon was in danger. “What we’re saying is that we have information and the police doesn’t have any, so expecting us to just sit here while you all do nothing is unreasonable. Arrest us if you get too fed up about it, but if you’re not going to look for Hakyeon then we are.” And with that the final student in the room stormed out to find his friends.   
\------------------------------------------------------------------

He found them in Jungkook’s office, surprisingly a lot less angry than they were before. 

“Sanghyuk, sit down please.” He did as the officer asked, finding a place in between Taekwoon and Wonshik on the plush couch against the small office’s right wall. Jungkook was at his desk, scribbling down notes. “Taekwoon, continue.”

“His hair was brown, but it looked dyed, it was kind of bright. He had pale skin, was maybe a little shorter than six feet tall….” Sanghyuk scrunched his eyebrows together in confusion, glancing to Wonshik for an explanation, who leaned over to whisper, “Jungkook is going to help us secretly.” 

Once Taekwoon gave out all of the information, Jungkook sighed. “Please don’t let me lose my job over this, guys…” They all stayed quiet, though he was expecting that it seemed, because he clicked a little on his computer before turning the screen. “Was this the man?”

And there he was. Under the name “Lee Hongbin” was a picture of the man they were speaking of, though a little younger as the picture was one from a high school yearbook. “That’s him for sure,” Wonshik replied softly. Jungkook nodded faintly. “His father is a crazily influential man… or was anyway. He owned one of the broadcasting networks that work worldwide, but died in a fire, leaving all of his money to his two sons. We don’t stalk the public, so we don’t have much more than that, but…” But it was enough. This guy was rich and in the shadow of his deceased father he wasn’t paid attention to. “I’ll look into him some more, just please be careful.” The three nodded as they excused themselves before hurrying out of the station. 

Taekwoon immediately spun around to face the two. “You know Jungkook can’t do anything. He’s just an officer, and if the police chief hates us we’re getting nothing from them.” He was right. As much as Jungkook could try to give them information, they couldn’t get the police to search the man, the car, anything, especially after offending the police chief so badly. “I’m going to head to the mall,” Wonshik suddenly said, making both of the other students stare at him in blank confusion. “We know where that guy shops now. You two were too distracted to realize, but on the way back I saw his car pulling into the local grocery store of the town next door. If we hold up there we can find him again, I’m sure of it.”

“And that has to do with the mall how?” Sanghyuk raised an eyebrow, but Wonshik simlpy smiled. “I’m gonna buy a gps tracker and put it on his car. We won’t have to follow him to know where Hakyeon is, and when the tracker says he’s away…”

“We’ll get Hakyeon out,” Taekwoon finished. “You’re a genius, Wonshik!” Sanghyuk cheered and hugged his friend before they rushed to the mall a few blocks from the station where they stood. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

"Shh..."

He bit his lip as to not make another noise, laid his head back and stared at the ceiling, wondering where his fire and pride had gone. It was a simple question with a complicated answer. He didn't want Hongbin touching him right now. Why didn't he fight tooth and nail then to get the man to stop?

He figured it was because he was exhausted. Mentally and physically; He didn't realize how much two weeks of barely standing could wreck his body until he could barely dance without falling out of breath. He didnt necessarily have the motive, especially when he saw Hongbin watching him everytime he went into that studio, but he had to try. He couldnt quit completely, as much as it pained him to pretend that things were normal like this, to go with the edge of Hongbin's sugar coated threats before they plunged into him.

But mentally exhausted was the more common thing, and today he wasnt even planning on talking back, just trying to enjoy the pleasure and finding it somewhat hard. He closed his eyes and imagined it was Taekwoon, something someone at school said to do when masturbating, but it only made him feel a little sick and uncomfortable. Taekwoon wouldnt fling himself on him like this. Taekwoon was more respectful than this, more innocent.

So he simply begged his body to feel something. Not so much that he'd be moaning like before; he was still embarrassed about the time he'd had in the metal-doored room. But enough that it wouldnt be so awkward and uncomfortable to have Hongbin laying beside him, the other male fully clothed while he himself was entirely nude spare the collar that never came off, leaving Hakyeon feeling disgustingly slutty in his appearance now as well. A large hand was pumping his length slowly, and while he was hard he felt more distaste for Hongbin than pleasure from his actions.

But a handjob was a handjob and he released soon enough, panting softly as the man dragged his fingers over Hakyeon's stomach, scooping up the cream. And here was the test. Every day there was a test of his obedience, something he'd normally refuse to do that he'd have to do if he wanted Hongbin to stay sweet to him. Hakyeon flinched as the fingers came up to his mouth, pressing at his lips and smearing his own release over them like balm. This was gross. Hongbin was gross. But he didnt want to go back to that room, to be punished, so he was quiet even after Hongbin was kissing him like that, licking at his lips softly before he cuddled up to his hostage and fell asleep.

And Hakyeon was back to staring at the ceiling, hands bound above his head, wondering if this was how it would always be. He always heard in serial killer scenarios, in kidnappings and rapes and all the bad things, that the criminal would soon kill their victims. He figured he should be more scared than he was. It was less to him now of if Hongbin would kill him... it was when. And for the most part he felt pretty ready for that too.

And his eyes slipped down to watch Hongbin sleep, so comfortable with his head on Hakyeon's bare chest, so free of worry that Hakyeon might hurt him in this vulnerable state. It was because Hongbin had nothing to be afraid of; even unbound Hakyeon couldnt bring himself to harm the man or blame him too much unless reflex was spurring him to fight back. Hongbin had his reasons for this too. He wondered when he started becoming so philosophical.

Once Hakyeon finally drifted far enough into his thoughts to be sleeping he dreamed of Taekwoon and Wonshik and Sanghyuk all sitting at a lunch table at school. They were laughing, even reserved Taekwoon could barely catch his breath. Then a stranger walked up and asked 'Hey, where's Hakyeon?' And Sanghyuk looked at the person weirdly before slowly replying 'Who?' The person walked away and they laughed on, smiling and happy. He felt like he was watching a movie rather than just having a dream, it felt so real, as it always did. His friends would replace him, Taekwoon would go into a relationship. He would die here within the month and no one would shed a tear. He had accepted it fully.


	19. Call (Sanghyuk/Hakyeon/Taekwoon)

'He had accepted it fully.'

Until around another week had passed. Hakyeon had no sense of time besides the light from the rooftop window in the studio. It appeared to be sunset from the brightness and the colors. He often went in there not to dance but to just watch the colors of the sky fade in and out between shades, indecisive on how to appear. He watched the rain patter onto the window harshly, mentally picturing a drop smashing through the glass, raining shards down upon him, soaking him with the downpour. He mentally pictured himself cut and and drenched so hard that he was trembling with the icy water nonexistent on his skin when Hongbin came in and picked him up, carrying him to the living room to watch tv.  
\------------------------  
Another week, and Sanghyuk was frantic, but Wonshik helped to keep tension low between him and the also panicking Taekwoon as they planned to find a fucking kidnapper and possibly killer and take the guy down without police help.

So the idea was insane to say the least, but if they didnt save Hakyeon no one would, and they had to work fast. Wonshik showed data revealing that the car had driven ten miles from the tiny neighboring town to the middle of nowhere very often, and they weren't any to argue with Taekwoon's idea that they should go scope the place out.

And here they were, not like 'here' was anything unique. The luxurious car parked in the middle of waves of tall, dry grass was a strange sight to behold, but they didn't hesitate to search the large plot of mostly seemingly empty land.

It was weird. Most people at least kept cattle on their land, but there were no plants, no animals besides a number of insects flying around and probably a few snakes hidden in the foliage they were stepping through. Sanghyuk tried not to think of that. Now they stood in front of the only find that was worth investigating... Some old shack. To say the least they were desperate searching here, but one could never know. The three glanced at each other before nodding and slowly pushing the squeaky door open, examining the room before them.

\-------------------

Hongbin gave him a sip of his beer and he took it without much consideration, wincing at the taste but hoping for some sort of relief to wash over like alcohol in small amounts usually gave. They were watching some American zombie show, and Hakyeon probably would've been more interested if it weren't for the fact that Hongbin was, as usual, way too touchy.

"Master, I want to watch." He'd learned quickly that calling Hongbin by that name was the sure shot to getting what he wanted most of the time, and today was no different. Hongbin pouted against his neck and pulled away, Hakyeon scratching a bit at the newly crafted hickey but relaxing into Hongbin's lap. And things were fine like this, normal like this, he had accepted this...

Until there were footsteps above them. He figured he was imagining things, but no, no there were people above them. The house must be underground then, and if there were people then...!! His fire flared back and Hongbin grabbed him roughly and smacked a hand over his mouth to muffle his screams for help, grabbing a pillow and shoving Hakyeon down to press his face into it. He couldn't breathe, but most importantly he couldn't yell, he couldn't make a sound, and he struggled so hard he kicked Hongbin off the couch.  
With his newly found freedom he jumped the back of the couch, rushing around as if playing marco polo from room to room, finding which room they were louder in. It was the living room and he yelled "HELP ME!!" right as something hard was slamming into the side of his head and he was sent toppling to the ground.  
\-------------------------  
"Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Taekwoon bit his lip. He swore he heard something. The creepy old shack was just that, a creepy old shack, but for some reason he had a strongly bad feeling about this. Why would Hongbin park his car here? Where did he go after? But maybe he had parked and walked somewhere, gotten a ride somewhere. They couldn't know.

"It must've been nothing," Taekwoon murmured with a sigh, rubbing his eyes. This was hopeless. There was nothing here and they were back to square one. "Let's go," Wonshik said after a few more minutes. The other two nodded faintly, but as they walked out Taekwoon noticed something.

The rocking chair by the door... The dust on the seat was shifted. Someone had been sitting there recently, and he figured it was Hongbin. He decided to come back on his own later, the other two students seemed too exhausted to keep up with him if he were to ramble about freaking dust on chairs for evidence. They made their way to the car feeling deflated and once more stuck in a lack of knowledge.

\--------------------

Hongbin was panting, gripping his side tightly where Hakyeon had slammed his foot into him at full force, but he had hit the mark. A vase was shattered around Hakyeon, and he closed his eyes slowly as he felt warm liquid running from his bangs down into them. Blood... Here was where he was going to die as fated then...? So close to freedom just to lose that? No... no he refused.

"Help..." Why was his voice so soft. He tried to scream again but his mind refused to exert his aching body like that. The footsteps were growing quieter and simultaneously an enraged Hongbin was storming towards him. "P... please help..." He was grabbed by the collar and literally had to hush his own gagging to listen for, to beg for, to hope with everything for the noise of the people realizing that he was down there, to come save him. Hongbin dragged him down the stairs right as he heard a door from above slam shut and then silence.... He hadn't cried in a full week. Maybe even longer. The tears were dripping off his chin before Hongbin could even strap him down fully to the cold table in the metal-doored room.


	20. Call (Hongbin)

Fucking damn it. Hongbin was furious, pacing the room. Hakyeon was struggling like a maniac to break out of the restraints and that was just pissing him off more. He had done such a fucking good job! Hakyeon was trained, he was fucking trained almost completely! He didn’t need the handcuffs, he didn’t talk back, he was perfect, just like Hongbin had dreamed and then whoever the fuck THAT was had ruined everything! The man slammed his hand down on his toolbox, the thin metal rumbling loudly. Hakyeon’s screams of anger and pleading were pissing him off. He wanted it to be quiet. Now. 

 

Hongbin marched over and grabbed Hakyeon’s jaw, not taking the time or consideration to grab the gag and instead tearing off his own shirt and stuffing a wad of its fabric into his pet’s mouth before marching back to his tools, resting his head on the bar with a growl of a sigh. Now that it was only muffles, he could think. Yes, he just needed to think. Who would come there? Who suspected him? They’d have to move, Hongbin decided, but where to? They had just gotten settled, he didn’t have plans to move, he didn’t… Damn this!! 

“It’s all your fucking fault!!” Hongbin yelled, slamming his fist down again but harder, cutting his own hand on the edge of the toolbox but not giving a shit about the blood sputtering out, storming back to Hakyeon and grabbing the boy’s jaw again to force him to look at him and Hakyeon was fucking GLARING. Not terrified like he should be, not fucking sorry, he was back to being a stuck up stupid brat. All just like that! Hongbin swore he’d slaughter the people who changed his perfect possession back to an unruly dog if he ever found them. He swore that he would just to watch them bleed out spewing out apologies the whole way out. 

That thought gave him a little comfort, but it still wasn’t enough. “It’s all your fucking fault…” he repeated in a growl, grabbing a knife rather than a scalpel, not caring about how deep, how clean, how anything, he just wanted blood, wanted pain and apologies. “If you weren’t so fucking popular then no one would be around to FUCKING RUIN YOU!!” Hakyeon screamed through the muffle as the knife was plunged down in a swipe across his stomach, Hongbin didn’t notice how deep, didn’t care at the time. “You were PERFECT, you were MINE, and now you’re all fucking broken again!!! How long did it take me to train you, two weeks?! It’ll take fucking twice as long now!!” Hongbin swung the knife, curving it towards Hakyeon’s neck without paying attention. The boy flinched but the blade flung out of the manic man’s hand before it made more than a little knick of contact, the weapon clattering on the floor across the room. This was where Hakyeon started to look scared. He had almost killed him right there and Hongbin didn’t comprehend that until much later. 

 

“Damn it I’ll fucking destroy you if you don’t fix yourself soon,” Hongbin grumbled, realizing that he didn’t have his knife and storming back to his tool chest, speaking entirely to himself as if Hakyeon wasn’t in the room, listening to every word that was hypothetically being spoken to him. “I wanted to be nice but I don’t care anymore, I don’t want to put that much fucking effort in anymore. Jaehwan has those drugs, I’ll just get you fucked up and then you really won’t be able to live without me.” Hakyeon’s eyes were wide and he was yelling something into the muffle, shaking his head quickly. This pissed Hongbin off too. “What, you think you have a choice? You think because I was so nice to let you make some decisions that you deserve it? No, you’re fucking MINE, I decide everything!! You’re M I N E!” Hongbin felt good like this, a surge of power, of dominance, of exhilaration. He liked this, he wanted to feel it more. 

 

“Mine!” he repeated over and over, reminding himself and Hakyeon, grabbing the boy’s hair and slamming his head back onto the table, then grabbing his hair much tighter, enjoying the silky strands that were his, the obsidian color that was his, the tears in those chocolate eyes streaking down that sweet caramel skin that was all, all his. He had blood over his palm when he pulled away from where the vase hit his pet’s head but he didn’t care to bandage it. He ripped the shirt out of Hakyeon’s mouth and glared down into his eyes. “Now tell me what I just said, bitch.” There was a choice going on in Hakyeon’s head before he slowly bit his lip, trembling a little in fear but not speaking. And the fury was back. 

 

Two hours had passed and he had calmed down after beating his slave unconscious and chugging a few cans of beer. Hongbin sighed, rubbing his eyes. Did he go overboard this time? No, he really didn’t think so. He had to get his point across; this was the only way. He made his way down the steps past the metal door, approaching his still pet, stroking those black bangs back and forth across a sweat soaked forehead. He’d passed out halfway through Hongbin fucking him and the man didn’t know why until he realized that there was blood… blood everywhere. Blood on his stomach and his head and his neck and his arms and his legs and his ass as Hongbin was thrusting too rough with no preparation. He didn’t feel like cleaning it off. He didn’t feel like wrapping it up. He just wanted to go drink some more and expect Hakyeon to be back to normal by the next morning. Whether driven by fear or by want, he didn’t care. Hakyeon would obey him. He’d payed too much time, money, and effort on this boy for Hakyeon to not fall to his feet begging to be taken care of. He unstrapped him and made his way to the other steel door, the one with the small, lockable window. He only realized that Hakyeon was barely conscious when the dancer gave a faint whimper, a stray tear streaking down his cheek. Hongbin threw him into the cell and locked the door, peeking through the tiny window to see chocolate eyes blinking up at him in pain and weakness before the shutter to the window was being slammed closed and Hongbin was making his way back to the couch to finish his show alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be a double update, so please read the next chapter as well


	21. This Place Doesn't Feel Like Home (Taekwoon and Sanghyuk)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double update since these are both relatively short chapters. Please read the previous chapter first before this one. Thank you~

“Where the fuck have you been going, boy? Get back here and answer me!” 

The door slammed shut behind him. His sisters weren’t going to be home, sleeping at a friends house suddenly per his request. He knew his father would be drunk off his ass tonight. It was his and his mother’s anniversary and she was still in the hospital… no one for him to fuck. The man was insane and if Taekwoon could legally kill him he’d do it in a heartbeat. He could take his own beatings, but his brother? His sisters? His mother? It wasn’t even that. Taekwoon had walked in on that jackass groping his eleven year old sister tonight. He called Jungkook immediately, grabbed his sister and rushed her out of the house before decking his father in the face. He’d get major shit for it later, the man would probably beat him black and blue, but right now he didn’t care, he just wanted a fucking break and needed someone to take his anger out on. That was how his night was going. To say the least, Jungkook wasn’t happy.

 

“Taekwoon, you know I can’t do anything if there’s no proof…” 

“Isn’t my word enough fucking proof?! Hers?! She’s ELEVEN!” He was screaming, his voice echoing throughout the police station and early birds in their offices peeking out to see what was going on. It was four in the morning, who was causing such a ruckus? But Taekwoon was angry, he was panicked. First his mother trying to kill herself, then his father being an asshole, then Hakyeon getting kidnapped and the police not doing shit about it, and now this?! Jungkook rubbed his eyes. “I’ll… I’ll do my best Taekwoon, you know I try for you guys. I believe you, seriously, your dad is a complete prick but regulations say…”

Taekwoon sighed heavily, cutting the young officer off before slamming his hand down on the arm of the chair and walking out. He had heard it before a million times. His dad beat his brother? Police never did anything. His dad was the reason his mother wanted to kill herself? Nothing. Just a psych hospital, just leaving her four children behind with an abusive freak. Touching a minor, not just that but his own daughter? Nothing. Nothing at all. He was hating the police more and more despite how kind Jungkook was. When had they ever actually helped him? He didn’t really know. Jungkook was more like a counselor than a physical help and that was all he had. 

 

He found himself walking. He left at four in the morning before the sun was up, walked until noon when the overwhelming heat on his skin was sending him into a trembling fit and his legs were numb from overexertion and he literally collapsed before he was willing to stop. He wanted away from all of this, he wanted a break. He wanted Hakyeon back, he wanted a normal family. The more he hoped for it the more hopeless it seemed. Things just worked like that with him. Taekwoon was never a lucky person. 

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------

 

“He needs space,” Sanghyuk muttered, but Wonshik didn’t stop the car, following Taekwoon carefully. “Jungkook said…”

“Fuck what Jungkook said, we shouldn’t be stalking him.” Wonshik sighed, rubbing his eyes. “What else can we do? There’s only us three now, have you noticed that? We aren’t going to school, to work, we’re alone without each other. I don’t know about you but the only reason I breathe and eat right now is to find Hakyeon and get him out of whatever horrible situation he’s in. But part of that is teamwork. Taekwoon can’t break down. Besides, what if he gets kidnapped too?” Sanghyuk was quiet, hugging himself tightly and staring out the car’s passenger window. It was a murky day, but that didn’t stop the sun from blaring full force. Taekwoon probably needed some water after being out for so long. He doubted he’d react well to them actually pulling up and saying something like ‘hey here’s some water because we were stalking you’ though. 

 

They were already in the next town over before Taekwoon finally collapsed, exhaling heavily as he dropped onto the curb of some shopping center and hid his face in his hands. He wasn’t crying but he looked miserable, exhausted. Jungkook didn’t give them details and it wasn’t their business to ask but… Sanghyuk found himself worried for Taekwoon anyway.


	22. Decide (Taekwoon and Hakyeon)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The cries sounding pained and terrified… Hakyeon was here.

Taekwoon figured that he was being reckless. He also figured that he didn’t care. In his efforts to get away he had ended up miles from home, too exhausted to return even if he wanted to. He sighed as he pulled out his phone, wiping the sweat from his forehead. Dead. It was to be expected, he had been walking since morning and now the sun was setting. He figured it’d be uncomfortable sleeping on the ground behind a building, plus he didn’t want to risk getting jumped in the rather rough looking town, so he’d hitchhike. That was until he realized that the cabin was still suspicious to him. He just had a weird feeling about it, and while he could just take a ride back to Sanghyuk and Wonshik’s place and sleep there, something was drawing him to continue walking in the direction they had driven. 

 

After three hours of straight walking he regretted it. The searing hot sun fell into a chilly night, but it did nothing to fade the warmth cast over his body from the excessive effort. It was late now, probably around midnight though he could barely tell with no actual way to tell accurate time, and no one would be on the road especially being on such a rocky, country road. He sighed, rubbing his eyes as he trudged on. He didn’t know why he was doing this, it was surely pointless. It was just some run down abandoned cabin, that was it. But still, it was too late to really turn back. Ten more minutes of walking and he’d be there. 

 

\----------------------------------------------------------

 

“You’re drunk, stop...!!” 

“Don’t fucking order me around!!”

He was thrown into the wall, crying out as a hand slammed against a large cut across his collarbone that was still gushing blood, running down his chest and staining his white shirt a brownish auburn. He was getting tired but he couldn’t stop fighting. He had to get out, he had to find those people and beg them for help. He was desperate. 

 

The door was open in the seemingly far distance, taunting him from behind Hongbin’s strong build. He was weak, he was exhausted, and whether it was reasonable or not he felt like he was dying. The bleeding wouldn’t stop and there was a burning desperation in his chest, as if this was his last chance, something higher than him telling him to run, to fight, to not keep giving in like this. Now was the time. He didn’t know how he knew, but he did. 

 

But damn it, he wasn’t strong enough! Hakyeon shoved past Hongbin only to be grabbed by the back of the shirt and torn back, pressed against the wall as tight hands curled around his throat, the man’s alcoholic, stinging breath heavy as he inhaled only that and no oxygen, gasping for actual air as the grip grew tighter and tighter until his lips were parted in a silent gag, throat contracting in a cry for air. He’d beg for it to stop, but he couldn’t breathe. He wouldn’t say sorry, but even if he would he couldn’t. Hakyeon gathered all of his strength as it faded quickly and kicked out, Hongbin letting go and crying out as a socked foot slammed hard against his crotch. 

 

The man knelt and Hakyeon rushed for the open door. He didn’t know how to get out of the house even if he got out of this cell, there was no front door, there was no sign of a window or a vent within reach that was big enough for him to fit through. But he had to do something, had to take the first step. Hongbin was crazy. Hongbin was drunk. Hongbin was going to kill him tonight in a fit of rage that he’d barely remember when he found his body on the floor the next morning.

 

He was in the entryway when he was grabbed again, held into the air as he flailed and kicked wildly with no actual strategy, crying and screaming because damn it he was so fucking desperate to get out, to live despite how much he had looked forward to death just hours before. But he was so close to getting out, so close when those people had found him… Maybe they were still there, maybe they had gotten suspicious, maybe they had heard them. He doubted it but he had to take that chance, he had to. It was the only thing he had left to hold to before he himself fell into insanity.

 

Hongbin had the knife in his hand again, the knife that had clattered to the floor five minutes ago when this scuffle started, when the man had stumbled in barely able to walk straight and grabbed him, biting hard enough on his neck to draw blood and growling at him to take his pants off. Hakyeon hated the knife, the knife that had haunted him constantly as he was in the cell, as Hongbin would come in once his rage built up, slash his way into relaxing, give Hakyeon false comfort and no actual medical care, then leave to work himself up again with his thoughts. The fear that Hakyeon would be stolen from him, the fact that someone had found them so soon, it sent him into a fit constantly. And the only one that could take the anger that Hongbin couldn’t contain was Hakyeon. 

 

He was slammed down on the ground, crying as he a shockwave of pain rushed up his spine, stunned for just enough time to be pinned down. But unlike most of the time, Hongbin didn’t seem to be pinning him to force him into a kiss or some form of sexual activity… Hongbin didn’t look to be in the mood for that anymore. He grabbed Hakyeon’s left ankle and bent it up, the dancer flexible enough that it did so without resistance, the knife being pressed against the back. “Dun… don’t think you… you can just run from me,” Hongbin slurred furiously, Hakyeon sobbing as he tried to pull his leg away. Anything but his legs, without his legs he’d die, without them he couldn’t dance, couldn’t walk, couldn’t escape, no… 

“Please, you’re not thinking straight, please, please…” he begged hitting uselessly at Hongbin’s back as he felt the cold, sharp metal against the curve of the back of his foot. “You won’t run from me,” Hongbin growled, seeming to ensure his own determination and tearing his arm back harshly, the blade slicing right through deeply. 

 

\----------------------------------------------------------

 

Taekwoon wondered if it was trespassing to be stepping through the tall grass of someone’s land in the middle of the night, knowing that there was no way Jungkook could save him if he was caught and charged. He figured that the bed in the cabin was too rotten for anyone to be sleeping in it, and the windows were shattered so he could peek through to make sure before he walked in. He might as well, being already here. Maybe he could even sleep here and rest before he walked back. 

 

The floorboards creaked as he stepped inside, the door rattling like it’d fall off of its hinges if he put too much force on it, the weak and decomposing wood swinging back effortlessly into place with little slam from it’s light weight. He didn’t know why he was here, but nowhere else sounded appealing. So instead he laid down on the old, dusty rug, staring up at the cracking ceiling and finding solace in how Hakyeon could’ve been here. He dreamed of what could’ve happened, them opening the door and rescuing him the moment they saw him. Kissing him, telling him that he was so happy he was okay. Sanghyuk… Sanghyuk and Wonshik had told them that Hakyeon always had a crush on him… Taekwoon didn’t know how. Hakyeon was so talented, so perfect, so beautiful, so positive. He was just an awkward downcast that would distract himself and divert his strength into sports rather than beating his father to death. How could someone so wonderful like someone like him…? Taekwoon felt like a fucking disgrace to Hakyeon. If he had just driven him home, just questioned that he was walking back alone at night, the dancer would still be safe. He pictured that flustered blush when Taekwoon spoke to him in the store, the soft smile, the assurance that he was fine, the last things he had heard from Hakyeon. It had been two months. What if Hakyeon really was dead…? The thing that pissed Taekwoon off enough to be yelling at the chief was less their lack of effort... Because what Sanghyuk and Wonshik didn’t realize was that the police were still diligently searching. What bothered him was what they were searching for.

 

The body of a young adult male with black hair and tanned skin, the body of a boy last seen in black skinny jeans and a blue hoodie, the body that they were sure was ditched in some lake somewhere, violated and white with lack of life. He didn’t want to believe that, so he screamed, he fought. They demanded how he knew about where they’d searched and rather than admitting to digging through Jungkook’s records he just screamed that they weren’t working hard enough, that Hakyeon was still out there waiting for help that he wouldn’t get if they stayed sitting on their asses? His mind wandered from his happiness when Hakyeon would be found to his despair when they really did find the body, when they called Hakyeon’s only friends to identify him because he had no family after his mother disowned him and his father passed, when he’d walk into the morgue to see that beautiful face pale with death, those once bright eyes dull and empty and cold, the once agile and perfect body flawed and mangled with the torture that he had endured before he died, no one coming to help him because no one believed that he’d make it as long as he did. 

 

A tear streaked down Taekwoon’s cheek and he felt a sob shake his chest, his throat burning with the want to cry out but he didn’t have the ability to allow it to after so many years of holding it in. Why was the world so full of evil people..? Fuck himself, he didn’t care what his father did to him, but what about his sisters who were too young to have to grow up so quickly? His brother who always did what he figured was good and just and only got beat and scolded, Hakyeon who was so happy, so perfect, so full of potential, now either dead or in the hands of that fucking sick man Taekwoon had seen at Namjoon’s store… He remembered that face well, he did his research on it, and the moment he saw it again he would kill the man. Slaughter him for what he did, for what he was doing, for how he was getting away with it. He was tired of justice going unserved, he was tired of suffering and watching others suffer and hearing enforcement say there was nothing they could or would do about it. He could handle jail for life, because of course they’d put him in there but not Lee Hongbin, he could handle that. He just needed to see something done in this world where nothing was dealt with if it didn’t affect the people who could help, this selfish, selfish world.

 

He was drifting into sleep, tears running down his chin and slipping off his neck to the floor, his chest rising and falling quickly but still feeling so heavy and overbearing, before he shot up to a loud noise. A scream of pain… coming from right below him. The voice was unmistakable, and even though he had never heard Hakyeon like this before he was filled with determination and relief to hear it. Hakyeon was alive, Hakyeon was here!! He began to shuffle around, looking for a way down. The scream came from the floor, meaning that Hakyeon was being kept below this shack… He was right!! Hakyeon was here…!! Hakyeon was alive, Hakyeon could be saved…!! 

 

He threw back the rug to see an indent in the shape of a square in the floor, a small groove in the front like a handle that he used to throw the thing open, jumping down into the hole without thought and opening his eyes to a very weird place. There was a full house, neat and tidy, completely furnished and very obviously being lived in by the rustled blanket on the couch and a phone on the counter, caseless and lone with a black screen….

 

He could hear sobbing from down the dark staircase, someone was screaming, probably the man Hongbin, the cries sounding pained and terrified… Hakyeon was here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is coming to the end, but a surprise for yall is that there are multiple endings~ After next chapter, I'm going to post four different endings to this fic. I'll explain more details in the next chapter. Thank you for sticking with Saudade Dance for this long! ~ I hope you've enjoyed reading it.


	23. Choice (Taekwoon)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter before this story splits into four. At the end of this chapter you’ll get a choice. For the fun of your choice, please read the chapter with your choice as its name first, then read the others <3 There are two bad and two good endings, so we’ll see what you get~ Comment your choice btw! Just for my fun please :)  This story has been fun to write, thanks for sticking it out with my awful sadism. Yall are the best~

The phone rested lonely on the counter, black screen on the cool light granite, summoning his attention… Another scream echoed through the room and he growled. He didn’t have time for this! Hakyeon was suffering! Taekwoon rushed down the stairs, freezing at the bottom to the sight he saw.

 

The red walled room smelled like sex and blood, a chain running from the huge bed’s frame, snaking past a metal door that was lying open to expose darkness. The rest of the house, the portion he had seen in his search for Hakyeon, looked so homey, like one that would be seen on tv in a happy drama. But this room was dark, intimidating, two metal doors standing out uncomfortably. He swallowed as he slowly approached the dark room, the door that was open where the chain led… He was scared of what he’d see, no longer hearing the crying… Had Hakyeon died in the few moments that Taekwoon had been distracted..? Was he being held hostage as the man noticed that Taekwoon had come..? He never checked when he arrived if the car was in the lot or not, he had no reason to think that he was safe from this guy popping out and attacking him. He was terrified for Hakyeon, but as he walked into the room he let out a weak, shaky breath. 

 

Empty. The chain led to nothing, the cuff alone on the floor in the cell-like room. He had worked himself up so badly upon entering with images of Hakyeon in a puddle of blood… Because this looked just like a serial killer’s bedroom, a crazed man’s, the chains on the bed, the dog bowl that Taekwoon tried not to notice had “Yeonie” written on the side. Why did this man choose Hakyeon…? Why did this man specifically care about him so much..? Had Hakyeon been talking with him on the internet or did they know each other before? Was it a stalker case…? He wished Sanghyuk and Wonshik had continued to follow him, he wished he hadn’t stormed up to their car and screamed at them to leave him alone and give him his space. His nerves were pumping, adrenaline flowing fiercely through his veins. He didn’t have many other places to search, but a good check would be on the second metal door.

 

It was locked, but the locks were on the outside, three bolts that were heavy and hard to turn. Inside the lights were off, Taekwoon rubbing his hand along the wall for a switch, jumping when he heard the heavy door slam behind him. He hoped with everything he had that he wouldn’t be stuck in here. It smelled awful, the iron scent of blood hovering strongly over his nose. It was silent, nervewrackingly so, but he finally found the switch and flicked it…. Taekwoon wasn’t sure if he was just having a terrible nightmare. 

 

Chains, cuffs, rope coiled in the corner, Blood stains on the floor, blood dripping with a slow dribble from a table in the far corner... and on that table… shit… 

 

“Hakyeon,” he breathed, rushing to the side of the unconscious and gagged male, quickly pulling off his thin jacket and grabbing a knife discarded on the table to shred the material into strips. Hakyeon was there, he was breathing, but blood was running from a deep slice of his collarbone and a terrible wound on his left ankle, these two wounds being the main sources of the crimson dripping down the edges of the table but not being the only ones. 

There were cuts and bruises everywhere, fingerprints around his neck and on his hips and on his thighs that were exposed and cut up, dark purple around his wrists and ankles, a soft yellow hue on his right cheek. He looked sickly but not thin, he had been fed for the past two months but… but no… what had he suffered through…? He didn’t want to wake the boy up, he didn’t want him to have to go through pain but he also wanted to know how he was doing mentally, if he’d be stable enough to wake up to find himself outside of the place he had resided in for the past two months. He heard from a panicked Hyuk that many victims would grow attached to their kidnappers, Stockholm’s Syndrome. He feared that this had happened to the dancer, didn’t want to wake him up in case he refused to leave. 

 

There were tight cuffs strapping down his arms and legs, Taekwoon gritting his teeth as the metal was firmly locked on. He had to find a key… He started to make his way around the room searching, stumbling upon a large metal cabinet and flinging the door open, only bursting his nausea upon recognizing various sizes of blades, small intricate machines, various different bottles and jars of things (including a bottle of something whitish that Taekwoon didn’t want to consider), and what Taekwoon quickly realized were sex toys. His eyes fell back to Hakyeon, sleeping with his eyes furrowed on the table. He had to be quick and get Hakyeon the fuck out of this terrible place. 

 

A few drawers down he found a small silver key, hoping it was the right one and hurrying to get to unlocking the cuffs. Luckily it fit into the slot easily and soon the boy was freed from the table. Taekwoon pulled the strips of jacket he had cut from his back pocket and began to wrap them in layers around Hakyeon’s ankle. His collarbone was bleeding profusely but it could wait… His ankle looked like it was causing the most problems. Hakyeon was light and felt fragile in his arms, blood beginning to soak Taekwoon’s shirt but he hardly cared, quickly rushing out of that awful room and up the stairs… before freezing at the top of the staircase.

 

The man looked exhausted, but still just as handsome as before, his eyes narrowed with hate and venom as he held a gun in one hand, a knife in the other. He looked crazy, his eyes bloodshot and heavy, his chest rising and falling heavily as he slowly but soberly growled, “I fucking knew you’d be trouble.” Taekwoon held the unconscious dancer closer to him, eyes darting around the room subtly, looking for a way to escape. The man was standing right under the hole in the ceiling, and while Taekwoon was strong, he doubted he could fight with Hakyeon so weak in his arms without increasing the damage on the older male’s battered body. 

 

“Jung Taekwoon… Fuck you. You think you can take him now? Ignore him when he begs for your attention then rob him from me when I bless him with mine? I’ll fucking kill you.” As awake as he sounded, Taekwoon realized that this man, Lee Hongbin, was drunk and too emotionally unstable due to the circumstances to think straight. He swallowed faintly as the gun was raised in a completely still hand, aiming directly at him. “Drop him or I’ll shoot.” And Taekwoon found himself not caring about his own life, but Hakyeon’s. If he died Hakyeon would never be free, Hongbin would never allow risks like this to happen again. If he died this was the end for the other. Taekwoon didn’t care about his own miserable life, but there was one that mattered in his arms… He had to be careful about this. “I fucking said drop him!” He slowly knelt to the ground, placing Hakyeon gingerly onto the wooden floors before lifting carefully with his hands raised beside his head. “Good boy,” Hongbin growled, “Maybe Jaehwannie can make some use of you if you beg for your life. That’s if I’m nice, otherwise I’m going to slaughter you for even considering taking my pet away from me.” His pet… Taekwoon growled under his breath, but thankfully Hongbin didn’t hear this. 

 

“Now walk six steps to the left and get on your knees. If I decide to shoot you I don’t want your filthy blood on my toy.” This man was crazy, this man was evil, and Taekwoon found himself not just cautious but even slightly afraid as he cursed himself for allowing his phone to die, for coming here so unprepared with even a slight chance that Hakyeon could have been here. No one knew he was here, no one would know if he died here, no one would have any sign of Hakyeon being here. The police would just have another victim on their hands, blaming Taekwoon’s nosiness and dropping the case in spite. Everything was on the line here. He did as told, gritting his teeth as he knelt again, finding his eyes once more wandering the room. 

“Good. I’m going to make a call and you’re going to stay put. I’ll have eyes on you the entire time. Breathe the wrong way and you’re dead.” A call… Taekwoon’s eyes fell to the cell phone on the counter behind Hongbin. He could call the police if he could just get his hands on that before Hongbin did. But then Hongbin would just hurt him with one of the two weapons… The knife glinted in the light of the room’s fixtures. He had learned from a friend that close combat fighting would always end up with the knife wielder beating the gun. They had more range… but then… could he really stab Hongbin? At least with a knife he could stab him and run… The gun was more fatal. If he took it he’d be killing the man almost certainly. He wanted to, his body craved to murder Hongbin for what he did, but the moral was still overwhelmingly scary… and then his eyes slowly fell to Hakyeon, who Hongbin was slowly making his way towards, Hakyeon who didn’t deserve this. The man was gripping the knife tighter as he drew closer to Hakyeon, gritting his teeth and muttering ‘all your fucking fault…’ under his breath… Time was ticking, he only had moments to decide because he couldn’t just sit here and wait to die. 

 

Grab the phone and hope that he had enough time to call the police and protect him and Hakyeon in time for them to get there.

 

Grab the gun and kill Hongbin.

 

Grab the knife and attack Hongbin.

 

Or run to Hakyeon and defend him from the anger this man was about to release on him, regardless of whether he was killed for it. 

 

What was he to do…?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After this chapter there are going to be four endings: 
> 
> The Knife  
> The Gun  
> The Phone  
> Hakyeon. 
> 
> Please comment which you're going to choose and then choose the chapter named what you chose. ♡


	24. THE KNIFE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ‘My heart was limping and this is the end of the road  
> After making that decision and taking a breath  
> I let out a deep sigh’
> 
> VIXX - ERROR

 

The knife was lying on the ground, having slipped out of Hongbin’s hand when the man focused on better aim with the gun, the point of the weapon focused on Taekwoon, then Hakyeon. Hongbin was moving forward towards Hakyeon quickly, there was no telling what he’d do if he got close enough… Taekwoon didn’t want to risk it, didn’t want to risk Hakyeon being used as a hostage against Taekwoon. He wouldn’t take the time to risk it.

 

He dove forward with every inch of his strength pressed into agility, grabbing the knife before getting to his feet and springing at Hongbin, who was just spinning around in surprise at Taekwoon’s motions. Taekwoon noticed the gun being aimed towards him again and lunged to the side moments before hearing a loud bang that echoed throughout the house, Hakyeon yelling in fear. He begged that he hadn’t been shot but didn’t take the time to look, not having enough time to stop and analyze a wound he may or may not have. It didn’t hurt, so he hoped he had gotten lucky with his dodge. 

 

He closed in the gap between himself and Hongbin, and soon Hongbin was struggling to aim as he dodged Taekwoon’s swipes with the sharp weapon. He got a clean cut across the man’s chest… Hongbin was still moving… It wasn’t worth the risk. Suddenly though the gun was being pointed towards Hakyeon, Hongbin yelling out, “STOP!!” Taekwoon did freeze for a moment. “I’ll shoot… I’ll shoot him…” Hongbin panted, obviously exhausted from dodging Taekwoon. But the athlete had a certain faith in something… Hongbin’s obsession of Hakyeon. He wouldn’t kill him. The crazy man wasn’t capable of it. “No you won’t,” Taekwoon growled. Then he was lunging forward, slamming Hongbin’s head into the wall and driving the knife forward. There was a sick noise and an even sicker resistance as the blade slipped into the central area of the man’s stomach like butter. Taekwoon didn’t even realize what he had done until the knife was slipping out of Hongbin’s gut as he collapsed with an ‘mmph.’ 

 

He had just… stabbed someone… The shock would’ve overwhelmed him, the guilt, but he had higher priorities. Taekwoon rushed to Hakyeon, lifting him up and rushing away from Hongbin who was gagging up blood, still using his weighted breath to scream at Taekwoon not to take him, not to take Hakyeon from him like he was. Taekwoon wasn’t thinking, just acting, as he ran towards the open trap door. Hakyeon was crying now, Taekwoon realizing that he could see everything. While his own back was turned from Hongbin’s bleeding form, Hakyeon was watching… He quickly made to press the other’s face into his shoulder, telling Hakyeon to stop looking, to keep his eyes closed. And the smaller form obeyed, even as Hongbin screamed for him not to leave him like this, screamed at Hakyeon that it was his fault that he was dying, to help his master, to pay him back for ‘keeping his slutty ass alive.’ Taekwoon pushed Hakyeon up through the trap door before jumping and pulling himself up as well. He picked up Hakyeon again and kicked down the door of the shed, trying to ignore the fact that Hongbin’s screams were getting less violent, less emotional, that they were quieting down… And he ran. With Hakyeon in his arms he ran like hell for miles, for hours, only stopping when he collapsed and an elderly couple passed them on the rural road, picking them up and calling the police about ‘two distraught looking boys unconscious on the side of the street in the pouring rain.’ 

\--------------------------------------------------------

 

It was a surreal feeling, waking up with the rain beating down on his aching body to the soft grip of an old man’s hand on his shoulder. Hakyeon winced as the wound on his collarbone, the one on his ankle, the smaller wounds everywhere, pounded under the force of the torrent falling from the sky. But he was free… Taekwoon had saved him... Taekwoon… 

 

Taekwoon was just waking up too, the wet grass sticking to his hair and staining his clothes, his eyes sleepy and full of exhaustion as he held Hakyeon to his chest. He didn’t let go. Even after the elderly couple explained that they had just found them on the side of the road and wanted to get them to the hospital or the police station, he didn’t move. He wouldn’t let go of Hakyeon now that he had finally found him. He wouldn’t let anyone take him away.

 

“We… we just want to help,” the elderly lady said. They seemed kind, but he couldn’t find himself trusting anyone. The realization came to mind… Hongbin… Surely he had bled out… which meant that Taekwoon had killed a man, he was a murderer. A tear streaked down his face and he held Hakyeon closer. He had killed someone, he was evil. And he had done it for Hakyeon, which meant he wouldn’t give up the last thing that he could keep. He’d probably go to jail for life. The panic was setting in.

 

“Y… you can stay together, just please let us take you to a hospital.” He would have refused, but now he was seeing that the water on the curb was tinted pink… Hakyeon was still bleeding, still weak and limp in his arms. Taekwoon wasn’t sure if he’d stop bleeding in this state. He couldn’t risk it… he couldn’t risk it… He nodded faintly and the man was, with surprising strength, carrying both of them, laying them softly in the backseat of the small car. “What happened to you?” The woman asked, noting that Hakyeon was already unconscious again, but probably also noting that he was only wearing dancer shorts, had a collar around his neck, and was all over bleeding and bruised. 

 

“Have you heard of Cha Hakyeon…?” Taekwoon asked with a struggle. He was so exhausted… The woman slowly shook her head. “The police will know… please call them.” And with this, she did. She called and reported that her and her husband had found Cha Hakyeon and Jung Taekwoon unconscious on the side of the street, that they were taking them to the hospital now. And while she called Taekwoon hid his head in Hakyeon’s bare shoulder, squeezing his eyes shut and trying to pretend that he wasn’t still terrified. Even asleep, Hakyeon felt like he could tell. 

 

\--------------------------------------------------------

 

“What…?” Sanghyuk was tired of hearing Jungkook’s voice. He was tired of the police, he was tired of everything. Taekwoon had screamed at them to back off once the athlete realized that they were following him and now Sanghyuk was just… pissed. It felt like everything was against him and Wonshik. He’d tried to call Taekwoon an hour or so later, to apologize, but the phone went straight to voicemail. Either his phone was dead or he was hanging up on them…. But right now, Sanghyuk didn’t care. He didn’t want to talk, only taking Jungkook’s calls for the ‘just in case’ matter.

 

“Hakyeon…” The officer was panting and suddenly Sanghyuk was shooting up from his position laying on the floor of the school’s hallway like they’d always do with Hakyeon on rainy days like this, shaking a sleeping Wonshik until he was groaning and sitting up himself. “We… we found him… Taekwoon…” 

“Where?” Sanghyuk didn’t have time for stuttering. Wonshik was up and listening to the call’s loud, echoing noise, already gathering their bags as the two ran down the school’s staircase, nearly slipping with the wetness on their shoes and the tile steps. They were shoving open the door when the officer responded, in a conversation with another person at the same time as the call apparently and seeming to have caught his breath. “Him and Taekwoon are at the hospital by the cafe we met at….”

“We’ll be right there.” He hung up and they ran for the car, diving in, Wonshik starting the engine and pulling out at speeds that weren’t legal, but they didn’t care. Their best friend was alive, they’d see him, he was okay, he was safe…!! 

 

Within ten minutes they were pulling up to the closest parking space they could find in the hospital, rushing to the room number Jungkook had texted Sanghyuk and flinging open the door. And there he was. 

But what had happened…? Sanghyuk stared in shock, frozen in the doorway. Hakyeon looked naked, but he could tell through the very thin sheets that there were shorts… but otherwise nothing. He was soaking wet, and a tight collar was ringed around his throat… a dog collar. And he was so beat up… “Hakyeon…?” He whispered, the other slowly turning and staring at him in shock. A tear fell down Hakyeon’s already tearstained face. “Hyukkie…” 

 

That was enough to snap him out of his trance. He rushed forward, embracing his best friend, letting the tears that he had held back for a month and a half fall fast and hard. “I missed you so much…” Hakyeon cried. And the feeling was mutual. It was so mutual that it stung. Wonshik was in the hug, dragging in a shocked Taekwoon. And they were there like that for what felt like hours, the four of them together in one embrace. 

 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

 

“His kidnapper… Does he know where Hakyeon went?” 

“I… I killed him… I killed him…” 

“Taekwoon, calm down. What did you do?”

“I… I stabbed him…. He said he’d kill me and Hakyeon so… so I stabbed him and…”

“Taekwoon, take a deep breath. Where did you stab him?”

“Stomach… I stabbed him and I took Hakyeon and I ran…”

The police chief was listening, jotting down notes.

“Am I going to go to jail…?”

Jungkook looked at the man who Taekwoon had screamed at the last time the two had interacted, the police chief sighing softly before giving Taekwoon a big hug. 

“No, kid. It was self defense. You saved Hakyeon, be proud of that.”

He wasn’t. He wasn’t at all. As happy as he was to have Hakyeon back, he was so disgusted with himself for what he did that he couldn’t even feel the joy over the sickening need to suffer to atone for taking a life. All of that faded though… It all faded once he felt a soft hand on his own, his eyes meeting with Hakyeon’s. “Taekwoon… Thank you.” And suddenly the pain was gone, the guilt, the sorrow. It was all washed away with Hakyeon’s honest voice. “Thank you so much.” And he was suddenly freed from his own mental shackles just like Hakyeon was freed from his physical ones. 

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Two Months Later

 

“Shh, calm down…” Hakyeon stilled, but only in fear. Mumbling the words in his head that he couldn’t say out loud without risking some form of punishment. ‘Don’t touch me.’ ‘Let me go.’ ‘Don’t do this.’ He could never speak. Hongbin would gag him if he said too much, it wasn’t attractive enough to hear him begging for the ministrations to end. 

He didn’t know what Hongbin found attractive about him being restrained like this, hands above his head, feet together, rope making intricate patterns up his stomach and down his back, always looping his collar to a leash Hongbin would have tied around his wrist. He’d always get off to jerking Hakyeon’s head back while fucking him, whether by the hair or by the neck. Why? What was so attractive about it? About calling him a slut, a pet, someone he could toss out and replace right before and after swearing that Hakyeon was his entire world? 

 

“Stop struggling.” The tone was a little more demanding, so he did. He held as still as he could with his body rocking, biting his lip because he did feel it, he did feel good from this, and that disgusted him more than anything Hongbin could do to him. “Good.” Hakyeon wondered if he was allowed to cry, if he could just play it off as feeling so good he couldn’t hold back the tears. He didn’t want to risk it. 

 

“Hakyeon!” He shot up, gasping in surprise. Warm arms were touching him…. Hongbin… Hongbin…!! He shoved himself away, ending up falling off the bed and hitting his head on the windowsill but he didn’t care, he had to get away, he had to… “Hakyeon, it’s me!” ...Taekwoon…?

He slowly glanced up through teary eyes to see the other wide eyed, crawling off the bed to quickly embrace him on the floor where he had fallen. He found himself pressing his face into Taekwoon’s grey hoodie, sobbing out his fear and relief. He was still safe. It wasn’t all some elaborate dream. “I was so scared, Woonie…” he cried, curling his fingers into the soft fabric on Taekwoon’s back. The athlete kissed him on the head, whispering soft words of comfort that only worked temporarily. “I was so scared…”

 

It was like this many nights. Hakyeon would have nightmares often, full and blazing, of his time with Hongbin. Taekwoon had tried everything, from teas to subliminal messages, to make the nightmares go away. They never did. 

Hakyeon resorted to just not sleeping most of the time, distracting himself with tv shows and… well… other things. 

 

“Taekwoonie…” He wondered why he felt so guilty for touching the other when the other was literally begging for it, but he did. “Taekwoon, touch me, please…” 

“Hakyeon, let’s just… slow down a bit…” but the other was straddling him on the bed, pressing kisses to his neck, soft lips grazing across his skin so nicely. “I can’t…” Hakyeon would always reply. “I can’t…” He never expected to ever have sex with Cha Hakyeon, and while it had always been something that he’d think about when he’d need to get off, for some reason it just… wasn’t right like this. “I need this,” Hakyeon would swear. “I need this, please…” And he’d do it. Never rough, even if Hakyeon asked, he’d never hurt him. He didn’t want to be a reminder or a fill in for Hongbin… he just wanted Hakyeon to be happy.

 

He wondered how someone could have changed so fast, from innocent to not, from scared to desperate. Hakyeon came home with a black and grey ombre tattoo of a chain on the curve of his lower back. His ears were always decorated with piercings, his nose was pierced with a small silver bead on the right side, his lip, his nipples, his belly button. Taekwoon wondered why but Hakyeon wouldn’t answer in any way different than normal. “I need this.” 

 

And the chokers. They never came off, even in the shower. Taekwoon would reach for the clasp at the back to take the thing off and find himself being shoved away by a suddenly angry and defensive Hakyeon. He had to be wearing a choker at all time, whether it was thin and more like an accessory or prominently for bdsm purposes with a loop like the one he was rescued from Hongbin in. Taekwoon always asked why. The same answer. “I need this.”

He wasn’t tired of Hakyeon, he’d never be tired of Hakyeon, but Hakyeon’s actions were becoming tiring in and of themselves. “I don’t want you to suffer anymore,” Taekwoon would whisper into his ear after a passionate night, after Hakyeon was curled up against his torso, still softly panting from their previous actions. “I don’t want you to make yourself suffer…” 

“I need this, Taekwoon…”

“No, you really don’t.” Silence. Taekwoon always worried that he’d upset Hakyeon into leaving him, but it never happened. His fear was unrequited but it still existed in full force. “I… I want you to be happy like you were before he…” 

“I can’t. That… that me is gone. He killed it.” They wouldn’t mention Hongbin’s name, but they both knew exactly who was being spoken of. “He killed me…” Hakyeon slowly repeated, mumbling it more to himself than to Taekwoon before shoving the other gently onto his back and crawling on top of him, reaching down to grab his length. “Again..?” Taekwoon asked, somewhat sadly. He didn’t mind the sex if it weren’t for the fact that the sex was the only thing that kept Hakyeon sane, kept him connected to the life he was forced into and couldn’t for the life of him get out of completely. “Again… please…?” Hakyeon would ask and Taekwoon would be nodding, conflicted between the pleasure and the empathy of realizing that it wasn’t like Hakyeon actually wanted this, but just like he said before… He needed it. He had to have it or he’d go crazy.. Because that was how he was trained. And Taekwoon less and less was feeling guilty about killing Hongbin that day. Hongbin deserved it for ruining someone so beautiful and trapping them in a cycle of lust and misery. All Taekwoon could be for Hakyeon was his way of channeling out the stress and the habits he was forced into. And he didn’t mind it. Because he loved Hakyeon, he didn’t mind it at all.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it’s a happy ending, but it’s still kind of sad. Either way, thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed this story. Please read the other endings too now if you’d like. I worked hard on all of them.


	25. THE GUN

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ‘Saying that I’ll forget you  
> Is all a lie that remains in me’
> 
>     -VIXX - ERROR

He had decided before he could even really think about how the situation would play out. Taekwoon dove forward as Hongbin’s eyes focused solely on Hakyeon, tackling the man to the ground. The gun clattered to the floor and Taekwoon shot his hand out for it but quickly tore his arm back in pain as Hongbin’s knife was slid across it. The man was furious, reaching for his gun only for Taekwoon to smash his hand into the ground and grab the weapon himself. It was loaded, all he had to do was properly aim and Hongbin would be gone, dead, punished properly for what he did to Hakyeon..! The thought drove him and his adrenaline, the realization that finally, finally justice would be served. Hongbin would die and Hakyeon would be free. Taekwoon could move his sisters away from their father’s house and find a way to send the wicked man to jail. He could do this, he could save everyone…! 

 

Hongbin grabbed his wrist and angled it upwards, the motion causing Taekwoon to fire in surprise, his inexperience with firearms obvious by his quick finger as the bullet’s bang echoed through the room, a little dust flaking down from the ceiling where a tiny hole was left in the bullet’s wake. Soon that gaping hole would be in Hongbin’s head. Hongbin flipped Taekwoon over and punched him with his free hand, the student coughing but managing to roll them back so that Taekwoon was on top before Hongbin could bring the knife down on his face. 

They fought like this until they were both panting but still viciously at one another, fighting to the death, fighting to kill the person they were locking arms with out of hatred, spite. Taekwoon should’ve expected Hongbin to not play fairly. He could barely even comprehend what had happened until he was crying out with pain, gripping his wrist and dropping the gun that was previously held by that hand….. Blood poured from his inner wrist where the knife had gotten a good cut and he didn’t have good enough reflexes… Just barely out of time, Hongbin grabbed the gun, grabbed Hakyeon by the hair, dragged the dancer to his side and put the gun to his head. “CALM DOWN,” he panted heavily and Taekwoon was frozen, his rabid attempts to murder the man before him stilled when he realized that Hakyeon was a twitch of the finger away from having a hole in his brain. The boy had woken up by now, shuddering and staring at Taekwoon with fearful eyes. “Calm… the fuck… down…” Hongbin repeated, catching his breath. He looked tired, his arms looked weak, maybe if Taekwoon just… No… he couldn’t risk it, he couldn’t bring himself to even take a one percent chance of Hakyeon being shot here. So he sat still, writhing in his fury and the need to strangle Hongbin but being unable to. 

 

Well… at least at first he was sitting there… but there was a loud noise that echoed a little bit too late to dodge, and when he opened his eyes he was on his back. What had happened? He doubted he’d have fallen, he had a good balance where he sat. His ears were ringing, but he could barely comprehend Hakyeon screaming his name…. Taekwoon attempted to sit up, to find out what was wrong, to try and fix it from a safe distance… but he couldn’t. A sharp pain shot up his entire torso as his body just began to register what had happened. He didn’t want to look down at where the pain centered, he knew somewhat wearily in the back of his mind what he’d see. It was no surprise but definitely shocking when the sight of his stomach was his torn shirt, bloodied and quickly getting more and more stained faster and faster. Hongbin was holding back a violently struggling Hakyeon who had tears streaking down his cheeks, reaching out for Taekwoon but being too far away. 

 

He’d been shot. Hongbin had shot him… He wondered why he felt so calm at this idea, at the fact that there was blood pouring from his stomach, that no matter how he positioned his hand over the wound he couldn’t stop the flow. Taekwoon groaned though as the pain built up to be more and more overbearing. Finally Hongbin couldn’t hold Hakyeon back anymore and the dancer was crawling to his side, lips parted to exhale as he was gasping out sobs, his hands visibly trembling hard as he reached out for Taekwoon, his arms freezing in midair as he didn’t know what to do, how to stop this. He couldn’t, they both knew that. There was nothing that either of them could do. Taekwoon wondered once more if he should be so calm over this fact, the fact that he was bleeding out. Death didn’t seem real at the moment, even as it rapidly approached. He’d just fall asleep and wake up in his bed, yell at his dad and go find Wonshik and Sanghyuk to search for Hakyeon again. And, oh yeah, Hakyeon was right here, so they’d have found him. They’d all hang out again and do stupid shit and he’d kiss Hakyeon like he had wanted to for so long… That would happen once he woke up. It was just another exhausting wound. It was just another nap. 

 

Hakyeon didn’t seem to agree. He held Taekwoon’s face with each hand on his cheeks, pressing their foreheads together, Taekwoon wondering if it was sick to consider that their blood was probably mixing together right now, wondering if blood could even mix or if it was like oil and water. Did that make sense? No wait, it was either way still blood… He felt a little light headed thinking this hard. Would he have a clearer answer if his mind wasn’t spinning. “No… no no no…” Hakyeon repeated in a mantra, and Taekwoon really didn’t feel like this was such a big deal. ‘Why are you so worried about me?’ He thought softly. ‘I’ll be fine, I’ll….’ But he knew that was a damned lie. As calm as he felt he knew that the longer the time passed without medical attention, the closer to death he’d draw until he finally fell asleep for eternity. He could live with that, with ending here. He never considered that Hakyeon wouldn’t be able to. 

 

“You can’t leave me, you can’t…!! Not like this, please Taekwoon..!!!” Hakyeon screamed, crying harshly against his body, his chest heaving up and down making the wound on his collarbone run blood that ended up on Taekwoon’s own wound. Once more, did blood mix? Could they become one like this? Within an inch apart, their blood stirring with the irritation of their wounds, Hakyeon’s extreme misery clashing with his own apathy towards the situation at hand? However Taekwoon realized that he was sad. His mind had decided to forget about why he didn’t want to risk his life in the first place. The fact was plain obvious… Hongbin would move once there was a body in the house. He’d move Hakyeon and no one would ever find him. Was that a tear streaking down his cheek…? He hoped not… He didn’t want to seem weak in front of Hakyeon, but it seemed like it was already too late for that. The other was broken in his arms, his arms that were slowly, then a little bit more quickly going numb, getting weak and wanting to drop to his sides so he wouldn’t be exerting himself anymore. 

 

He repeated it in his head. ‘I’m dying.’ ‘I’m dying.’ The words didn’t give him nearly as much pain as Hakyeon’s tears did though. “Yeon…” Why was his voice so weak…? In fact, everything felt weak… Was the time approaching..? He wondered what death would be like. Would it be pitch black? Would there be a heaven like he believed as a kid? Would he be sent to it if there was? Or would he just… cease to exist? He wondered what that would feel like before realizing that if he didn’t exist he wouldn’t feel anything at all. It was a weird concept to try and wrap his head around. 

“Don’t cry…” he mumbled as Hakyeon sobbed into his shoulder. The other didn’t listen. “You can’t die, Taekwoon, you can’t… Please don’t… don’t leave like this… Not because of me, n.. No… You’re too nice, you have too much, you should’ve just left me, you should’ve…-” And Hakyeon was talking too much for his spinning mind to handle. He used the last of his strength to reach one of his hands up and press Hakyeon’s head down so that their lips connected, the other’s eyes wide compared to how heavy and dull his own felt. They kissed like this for seconds, soft and weak and stationary before Taekwoon suddenly turned his head and coughed, blood sputtering out from his lips onto the floor. His arms fell limply to his side and Hakyeon was kissing him again, Taekwoon wondering if the other would be disgusted by the blood on his lips but Hakyeon not seeming to care, sobbing without sign of stopping. He wondered if blood could mix. He wondered if emotions mixed in the same way, the way he was starting to feel scared, starting to feel desperate and overwhelmed and miserable like Hakyeon surely felt just like the other seemed to be calming at his apathy. 

 

He was tired… Was it really time? Probably, he couldn’t keep his eyes from slowly fluttering shut. Hakyeon was too focused on embracing him to notice… He hoped it would stay that way forever and ever, even after he was gone. A tear streaked down his cheek, freed as he had so many things he had never said to Hakyeon, so many things he had never done with him. He tried to convey these things through their mixing blood and emotions, tried to share that he loved him, that he hoped with every last wish he had, every miracle he’d never have the chance to spend, that Hakyeon would be set free and back with his two best friends. That Hakyeon would become a famous dancer like he knew he could, that Hakyeon would find someone to love that would love him back maybe almost as intensely as Taekwoon loved him. He smiled bitterly at the thought, wondering if he should feel jealousy as his last emotion, deciding that he’d rather feel the small spark that he felt before and barely turning his head to connect his lips with Hakyeon’s once more. Yes… this was it. This warmth, this spark, the way he could relax and let the darkness suck him in with the last lingering connection to the world being Hakyeon’s hands, Hakyeon’s lips, Hakyeon’s blood and emotions spilling upon him. One breath, in and out. Two breaths, in and out…. His chest never rose for the third.

 

Hakyeon’s head shot up as he realized that Taekwoon’s heartbeat, his breath, the rhythm of his existence was suddenly gone… “T… Taekwoon…” He tried to sound calm as the fear, the denial, the terrifying anticipation rode through his veins. Hakyeon shook his shoulder softly, then harder, then much harder. Nothing… no response. He choked a little as his throat constricted, he considered in an attempt to strangle himself so he could chase Taekwoon into death and drag him back. “W… wake up…” he muttered, his voice trembling as a fresh, warm tear dripped from his eyelashes down onto Taekwoon’s cheek, rolling down the side of his face. Nothing… 

 

Hongbin was behind him, grabbing his arms and pulling them behind his back, lifting him by them. No… no, he couldn’t leave, what if Taekwoon woke up..? What if he could help, what if, what if…. He was being pulled from the room, the weakness from his own blood loss making him easily susceptible to Hongbin’s strength. Taekwoon looked peaceful as the blood still faintly flowed from his stomach to the crimson pool around him… It was the last sight Hakyeon would ever remember having. 

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Six Months Later

 

It felt good, he let his master know that through a soft mewl. He liked it when Hongbin touched him. The emptiness inside was dulled by the pleasure. It was like a game, waiting for permission to release. He lost a few rounds, he won a few. Hongbin would either reward or punish him, but he was starting to not mind either of those options. As long as Hongbin was touching him.

 

It was dark, it was always so dark, and while he was used to it it didn’t make it any less demoralizing. 

Sometimes Jaehwan would visit. His hands felt different on Hakyeon’s skin, his voice was different when he’d moan into his ear. It was always a pleasant surprise, the change. Even he got tired of the same treatment all the time. He wondered if he looked pretty for the two in the room right now, with something on his head and something besides Hongbin in his ass, what felt like fur against his back but he wasn’t sure. He found himself hoping that he did. Hongbin and sometimes Jaehwan… they guided him. They were his everything, his leaders, his commanders, his directors. If they left him he’d be lost in a sea of darkness, a typhoon of void purpose and painful memories. They distracted him. He worked hard to continue being distracted. 

 

It was dark and he missed Taekwoon, but that was normal. Sometimes he’d pretend he was dead too, that they were dead together, then his master would be touching him again and he’d be back in reality.

 

It was dark.

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------

 

“Did you really have to do that?” Jaehwan sighed as he motioned towards the figure on the bed with a bandage wrapped around his eyes. “Do what?” Hongbin asked innocently as he lead his friend into the house. He had finally finished moving Hakyeon and their things into the new house across the country. Jaehwan had come to help him move and was staying with them for a few weeks in return payment, as his tiny apartment wasn’t one he was too fond of always being in and he was allowed to touch Hakyeon all he wanted.

 

“You did cut them, didn’t you?” Hongbin narrowed his eyes in confusion, shaking his head slowly. “Why would I cut them? They’re beautiful and bright light worked just fine.” Just to prove to his friend that what he said was true, he made his way to the bed where his pet lay still as if dead, only flinching upon being touched until he realized whose hand was stroking his cheek and relaxed again. The bandage around his eyes was unwrapped and the lids slowly lifted, Jaehwan gasping softly. 

 

They were blank. His eyes were completely blank, dull and lifeless and almost creepily reflective like a doll’s despite how the other’s chest was still rising and falling to show he was very much still living. “Isn’t this a bit overboard?” Jaehwan asked softly, a little nervous to question Hongbin’s authority much but feeling it somewhat necessary. “His ankle’s already healed wrong. He can’t even stand anymore, let alone run, he’ll never be able to again, so why…?” Hongbin sighed, rubbing his eyes before picking out a more visually appealing cloth, a navy blue one, and wrapping it around Hakyeon’s glassy eyes once more to block them from sight. “I can’t be too careful. I love him so dearly, I can’t risk losing him.” 

 

Jaehwan didn’t…. He didn’t like it. Hakyeon didn’t speak anymore, it was as if his voice had just given in since the day that Taekwoon was killed before his eyes. He didn’t talk, only giving small grunts and whines, moans and cries, his mental processing diminished down to that of a traumatized animal’s. His only form of motion was crawling now that his ankle wasn’t positioned properly to apply balance and weight. It was almost pitiful when he had the energy to follow Hongbin around, usually when he wanted food. 

 

It.. Jaehwan never considered himself to be a good person, having all sorts of weird kinks. He liked it that night where he and Hongbin had fucked Hakyeon into the bed with those kitty ears on, the boy too drugged up to consider anything besides how good it felt until the next morning. That was different. He was okay with holding someone against their will, he did it all the time at clubs. But this was beyond a kink… beyond a lifestyle. This was sick. 

 

“He relies on me now entirely,” Hongbin said far too casually as he stroked the pet’s hair as they rested on the couch together, Hakyeon seeming satisfied to be being touched and not seeming bothered at all of what his master was saying about him. Jaehwan didn’t blame him; if he himself couldn’t see or walk suddenly after being so used to it his entire life, he’d be disoriented as well, would also find comfort in the small things. “I’m his eyes, I’m his legs. I’m his pleasure, I’m his everything. He won’t even consider leaving me because I’m all he has now, the only reason he can even feel alive. It’s the thought that counts.”

Jaehwan had nodded in a lying form of agreement before deciding to head back across the country to his small apartment, saying that he forgot he had a date with a cutie at a bar. It wasn’t a lie… mostly. He called and cancelled with the kid who was planned to be his next victim. Suddenly his lust had withered and faded, his enjoyment of his victim’s cries seeming to have flipped to an almost sickening feeling appearing in his gut at the thought of Hakyeon at first, feisty and fighting and Hakyeon now… barely a shell of a human. After days of considering what he knew he sighed deeply, rubbing his eyes as he dialled the number. A young sounding officer answer the phone. “This is officer Jeon Jungkook.” 

“Hi, officer. You had a case on a kid named Cha Hakyeon?” 

A pause. “How did you know that? Who is this?” Jaehwan found himself smiling bitterly into the phone. “You don’t ask questions, I’ll tell you where he is. Deal?” 

“...Deal. He’s alive..? It’s been almost a year now though… Who took him? Where is he? Is he alright?” The officer sounded like he cared more about the kid than the case, which was rare but gave Jaehwan some hope. Maybe when they found Hakyeon they wouldn’t abandon him or kill him out of pity, maybe they’d care for him even in his destroyed state. He wondered if he should feel guilty for selling out his supposed best friend, but he didn’t. He was through with his games and he decided that it was time for Hongbin to be through as well. 

 

“His kidnapper is Lee Hongbin. They’re living currently in Busan. I’ll give you the address but officer…” The young officer was typing before replying. “Yes?”

“Please go personally. Maybe even bring those two friends that Hakyeon has. He’s… He’s not doing well. He’s broken officer, you wouldn’t believe. Don’t… give up on him. Damn, I don’t even know why I’m saying shit like this but…” 

“We’ll all go,” Jungkook cut him off with a firm tone before cautiously approaching another subject. “Since… you know so much… and since I’m not allowed to ask who you are, may I ask you one more question?” Jaehwan grunted in agreement, the officer asking somewhat gingerly. “One of Hakyeon’s friends also went missing around six months ago, last sighted in the area of the location where it was assumed Hakyeon was kept. Jung Taekwoon… Is that familiar? We suspected that Hakyeon’s kidnapper took Taekwoon as well. Do… you know anything about that?” The officer was careful, but it was obvious that he was inexperienced with guarding his emotions. Jung Taekwoon meant a lot to him.

 

Jaehwan sighed, running his hand through his hair. Why was this so tough..? Why did he feel like he was dropping a boulder from his chest..? But he couldn’t just quit now. 

“Yes… I do.” 

“Can you tell me?” Hope… Hope that he was about to crush.

 

“Jung Taekwoon… was killed by Lee Hongbin six months ago… trying to save Hakyeon.” Before he even had the chance to hear the pain in Jungkook’s voice, to feel it through the phone, he had hung up and slinked towards his alcohol cabinet, pulling out a bottle of his strongest and chugging the thing down, hoping with every last ounce of him that what he had just done had restored at least a little bit of his humanity, the humanity that Hongbin no longer seemed to have. He hoped that Hakyeon would be able to be alive again, he hoped that maybe one day he could even apologize. For now though, he was going to get drunk off his ass, so drunk that he passed out and threw up and detoxed all of the evil that he just realized he had been living in for the past many years. It was time for change… for all of them. 

 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

 

Three days later the police had kicked down the door to Lee Hongbin’s home, getting a warrant with the tip from the stranger on the phone giving them enough motive to find more evidence against the man. Sanghyuk and Wonshik were at Jungkook’s side, eager to rush in and find their friend but being forced to wait until the man they had seen at the hardware store was being dragged out, cuffed and shirtless, screaming at them to not touch his pet, that Hakyeon was his. The vocal confirmation that Hakyeon was here was a little overbearing, but so was everything these days. Sanghyuk just hoped that things could even possibly go back to normal. Without Taekwoon, he knew they never would.

 

The three had grieved every second up until now. Taekwoon was dead, Taekwoon was gone, all trying to save Hakyeon… The police did a search of the shack again and found a trap door, found the body of a young soccer player with a hole in his chest. Sanghyuk had sobbed into Wonshik’s arms when Jungkook weakly told them this; They could’ve helped him, they could’ve helped him but instead they turned around like he asked and drove away… Taekwoon was dead and it was because of them… 

 

“All we can do is care for Hakyeon in his place,” Jungkook slowly said at the time, and now here they were. The anticipation was killing them. Where was Hakyeon…? Was he okay? What state would he be found in? Finally an officer walked out and made his way across the front yard to Jungkook, swallowing a bit. “You… you’ll want to see this yourself.” What was there to see..?

 

They were lead to a room in the back of the plain house, a bedroom. Sanghyuk gasped at what was before him. “Hakyeon!!” he cried, rushing to his friend’s side, reaching out to hug him… before the figure in his arms jerked away with a cry. Had… had he hurt him..? He didn’t seem too physically injured… “Wh.. where’s master…? Who are you…?” 

 

What. . . ? “I… Hakyeon, I’m Sanghyuk, remember? And Hongbin… he’s gone. You don’t have to worry anymore, you’re safe now.” He expected happiness, he expected joy. He didn’t expect tears to start streaking down past the blindfold that covered Hakyeon’s eyes. “No… I need him… Master…” 

“You… you don’t though, you have us now,” Sanghyuk tried to offer, finding himself beginning to talk to his best friend as if he were a child. Hakyeon had changed dramatically through the trauma… he was realizing this very quickly. He reached around to untie the blindfold, maybe Hakyeon being able to see his face would stir some recognition. Much to his horror, the eyes that looked up at him were blank and faded. “I want… I want master to come back…” Hakyeon whimpered, shivering a bit, Sanghyuk realizing that he was only wearing a tight pair of dancer shorts and a cat-ear headband. 

“Hakyeon… can you see me right now?” The slow shake of his friend’s head was all he could handle. He brought the dancer into a tight hug, crying into his shoulder. “What did he do to you…? Why…? Damn it!! Hakyeon…” The boy was still in surprise at Sanghyuk’s actions. Why did this person cry over him…? Did master send these people here for him? His master would do that sometimes, give him off to someone random. He spread his legs a little but Sanghyuk didn’t seem to be having any intention of going between them. It was strange. 

 

And he cried. Sanghyuk cried hard and couldn't stop. 

 

“If we danced close enough to the fields maybe Taekwoonie-hyung might notice you~”

“Shut up, Han Sanghyuk, or so help me I’ll make sure you never dance again.” 

 

What had happened…? Hakyeon sneering at him that last day he ever saw him, chasing him across the courtyard of their campus. Hakyeon the dancer, the one who’d win talent shows so commonly that Sanghyuk occasionally lived off of the bets he put on him. Hakyeon who’d flush when Taekwoon would appear. He always pictured the future being Hakyeon and Taekwoon finally getting their shit together and getting married, him and Wonshik finding their own way through the world, Hakyeon becoming a famous dancer and Taekwoon being an athlete and him being a psychologist and Wonshik writing raps and it would all be perfect, so damned perfect that they’d think it was stupid. 

And now Taekwoon was dead, his potential erased from the world, taken away by some fucking asshole who would never be physically capable of paying enough to make up for the life he had wiped away. Some fucking asshole who didn’t even give him the respect he deserved for charging in there for Hakyeon’s sake, alone and unarmed… And Sanghyuk had been so damned angry for the past few days, begging for Taekwoon to walk into the door so he could say sorry, tell him to not leave them forever like he did so suddenly. 

 

Because of that man, Taekwoon was dead, gone forever, unrightfully so. Because of that man Hakyeon would never dance again, not even physically capable of standing anymore with his ankle so fucked up. Because of that man Hakyeon’s eyes were useless and blank, he’d never scrutinize another dumb selfie, he’d never be able to see his favorite band playing on stage like he always planned to someday. Because of that man one of his best friends was gone forever, and the other was so mentally gone that it was close enough. 

 

He wanted Hongbin to die, to be tortured like he tortured his friend into losing his mind. But for now he’d suffice with embracing his best friend in his arms, crying into his shoulder, knowing that Hakyeon didn’t recognize him right now, knowing that Hakyeon wasn’t Hakyeon right now. “Do you remember me…?” He asked with a shaky breath, the other slowly replying. “Smell…” Hakyeon remembered his scent. “It… it’s Sanghyuk… I couldn’t help you…” 

“Sanghyuk… Let’s go. We need to tend to his wounds and get him out of this place.” Jungkook’s voice was soft as he slowly reached out, gently laying his hand on Hakyeon’s shoulder. “Hakyeon, I’m Jungkook. We’re going to move you, okay?” The figure on the bed nodded faintly before slowly mumbling, “Where’s Master..?” 

Jungkook swallowed before replying in a soft voice. “We’re taking him somewhere. He’s in trouble for hurting you. Do you remember your life before him?” Hakyeon seemed to be thinking, curling up against Sanghyuk slowly once he realized that these people seemed safe enough, that Sanghyuk, if he remembered right, was someone he could trust. Wonshik sat on the bed beside Hakyeon, his lip trembling as he tried to hold back tears. He’d cried enough earlier while Sanghyuk talked to Hakyeon, he had to be strong.

 

“I… danced.” Hakyeon replied, trying to find his voice. “My friends… Sanghyuk.. Wonshik..” The two shot their eyes up quickly. “Taek… Taek…” A tear streaked down Hakyeon’s cheek, his body beginning to tremble. “Here,” Wonshik quickly whispered, slipping off his jacket and draping it over Hakyeon’s bare shoulders, but it did nothing to stop the trembling. “M… master… shot him…” Sobbing. He broke down in Sanghyuk’s arms, covering his sightless eyes. “He told me… not to cry... and then he was gone…” Jungkook pulled the blankets from his feet to find Hakyeon’s uninjured ankle cuffed to the bed, a thick padded thing that was surrounded by bruising and dried blood. Wonshik shot his head away. He didn’t want to see this… any of this… Hakyeon was alive but Hakyeon was very, very much not okay. He didn’t expect this. He figured they’d find him and he’d be happy and they’d all, including Taekwoon, go out for lunch or something. He never thought… he never thought…

 

The chain was cut and Jungkook slowly picked Hakyeon up, pulling him from Sanghyuk’s arms. “Have you tried to walk recently?” The officer asked, Hakyeon nodding faintly. “Won’t work… It… it won’t work…” They all swallowed the reality that they didn’t want. The man who had analyzed his leg told Jungkook that the achilles was slashed deeply, that it would be fixable if it hadn’t happened so long ago… but now it had healed wrong and couldn’t support Hakyeon’s weight, wouldn’t be able to help him balance unless his posture was impossibly perfect every second he was up. It was crazy how tiny details like this, how the bright light of a laser could have destroyed his vision for good, how tiny, tiny things like this ruined his life. “Let’s go, Hakyeon,” Jungkook softly muttered to the figure in his arms, Hakyeon’s blank eyes staring straight ahead, doll-like and dull. “Let’s get you taken care of.”

 

\---------------------------------------------------------

 

“Fuck you.”

“I’m not here for insults, I’m here for answers.” The officer was fucking annoying. He just wanted to be killed already if he was going to be killed for murdering that stupid prick. He wanted his Hakyeon back. He writhed at the idea that his pet, HIS pet, was being babied by cops. 

“Now tell me… Is Cha Hakyeon your only victim? Why did you take him? What did you do to him and why?” This man didn’t know how to interrogate, but luckily for him, Hongbin was furious. 

“I’ll fucking tell you what I did. I was miserable, my life was hell and I just wanted to die. I found this cutie on the internet who made my life worth living again and I wanted him, I wanted him so badly I couldn’t handle it. He needed me just as much as I needed him, he wasn’t happy with his life, he needed control and I gave it to him. I grabbed him and I locked him to the bed and I gave him everything he wanted until he begged me for it. I made him into a perfect little pet, I trained him so well I’d wake up to his mouth on my dick every morning. He loved it, he was so good and then that fucking Jung Taekwoon came in and ruined him. So I killed him, I fucking killed Jung Taekwoon for even considering taking my pet from me. And then when the little bitch threw a tantrum I slit his foot and blinded him so he couldn’t run, so his only sense would be my hands on his body. I made him my slut, my pet, and he fucking loved it and now you assholes have taken him from me and I just want to die again because he was ALL I LIVED FOR. So just fucking get it over with, officer, fucking kill me if I’m such a terrible person, I’m fucking begging you!!!” 

 

The officer looked shocked before slowly standing and making his way from the room, leaving the crazed man cuffed to the table, resting his head on the cool metal and trembling in anger, in pain, in loneliness. “I’m not sorry…” he mumbled to himself. “Hakyeon was happy…” The camera buzzed, moving. They were watching him. They were listening. “How could you get involved…” 

 

A small beep. They stopped watching. 

“I’ll see you in the afterlife, Yeonnie… Cause you can’t live without me…”

 

\--------------------------------------------------

 

Two months later

 

“Hyoggie…” 

“Yeon?” Hakyeon was back in the house after a full month in a mental institute, and while he had improved quite a bit, he still wasn’t back to the way he was before. Sometimes he’d blank out for hours, sitting still and facing the wall, not responding even as he was shaken. When he was asked he’d reply dreamily the same way. 

 

“I was talking to Taekwoon.”

 

It happened less often lately. He was a little glad for that. As much as it hurt him to remember Taekwoon was gone, it was almost creepy how blank and honest Hakyeon was when he said that. “He’s just traumatized,” Jungkook had said. “He’ll recover over time.”

 

“Hyoggie…” The younger male blinked, turning back to the figure that was sitting on the bed, fidgeting with the bedsheet. Hakyeon seemed a little worried. He was unusually clingy lately, but Sanghyuk didn’t mind at all. He was just glad Hakyeon was back. “What’s up?” 

“I’m sorry. I’m such a burden now.” Sanghyuk blinked in surprise before he quickly gripped Hakyeon’s hand, holding it tightly. “You’re not though. I’m… I’m so happy you’re back, Hakyeon, you’re not a burden at all.” There was a pause, silence from the blind boy before he mumbled, “I’m sorry,” again. Sanghyuk brushed it off, rustling Hakyeon’s hair. “No need to be sorry. I’m gonna make some food okay? Wonshik’ll be home soon and he’ll probably be starving after his exams. Anything you want?”

Hakyeon looked up hopefully. “Chicken?” Sanghyuk laughed. “Called it. Give me ten minutes.” He was about to walk out of the room, but the moment Hakyeon heard the floorboards creak he shifted on the bed. “Hyoggie..? Can I come..?” That was one thing. Hakyeon hated being alone. Wonshik slept in the same bed as him now just so he wouldn’t have nightmares. Sanghyuk would still wake up to begs of ‘master, no, please no, it hurts….’ 

 

It was a bit different, but they were falling into a certain routine. Hakyeon would panic if he didn’t wear something around his neck, so they got a plain black choker from an accessory shop. It wasn’t a collar but it had the pressure that he needed. He’d learned to bathe himself, to eat by himself, to maneuver well with his crutches. Only one of his ankles was injured, which meant he could use crutches rather than a wheelchair. The school pitied him after the police explained the fact that he got kidnapped and held hostage so they didn’t drop his scholarship, but it was clear that he’d never dance again. After losing the only class he cared about, Hakyeon dropped out altogether. 

 

So they cared for him. They wouldn’t leave him, he was their best friend. Still, Sanghyuk would wonder some nights when he couldn’t sleep if Hakyeon would ever be okay again. He didn’t see how it could get better for him. He just… hoped. “Hyoggie… are you thinking again?” He blinked, glancing back to Hakyeon sitting on the couch, hugging his crutches. He probably hadn’t heard the fridge open. “Yeah, sorry,” he laughed. “Just thinking.”

 

 

Two weeks later Wonshik found Hakyeon in the bathroom, his wrists slit all the way up the forearm, blood dripping from the wound down the side of the bathtub, his tan skin paled and his eyes shut softly, as if simply dreaming. There was a letter written out, placed on the bed that Hakyeon would sleep in, the terrible handwriting and off-spacing indicating that Hakyeon did write this. 

 

‘I didn’t want to be a burden. I can’t see, I can’t stand. I live to dance and I can’t do that. I loved Taekwoon and he died because of me. There’s nothing for me, and I’m just holding you back. Hyoggie, Shikkie… I love you. I’m grateful that you tried to take care of me even after seeing that I was hopeless. I’m sorry that I’m broken like this. Go live your lives. Forget about me and Taekwoon. We’ll be happy together. I miss him. I miss him really bad. I talk to him sometimes and he says he’s lonely so… so I’m going to follow him. The only use I have now is to be a pet, and now that master Hongbin is gone… I don’t… I don’t want to live anymore. I’m going to go find Taekwoon now. I’m sorry if this makes you sad. Thank you for the time we’ve had. Thank you for everything.

 

-Hakyeon.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this is the worst ending and it’s horribly painful to write. I’m sorry. Thank you so much for reading. Please read the other endings with the reassurance that they won’t be as painful as this one. Thank you for everything. Take care.


	26. THE PHONE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ‘I don’t want to let go of myself  
> I don’t want to ruin myself anymore’
> 
> \- VIXX - ERROR

There was almost no option. If he dove for Hakyeon he’d just be putting the other at risk, Hongbin specifically telling him to stay away from Hakyeon unless he wanted one or both of them to get shot. The gun wasn’t an option either, even if it wasn’t literally tightly grasped in Hongbin’s hands he refused to kill someone or even risk doing so. It was the same with the knife. Violence wasn’t the answer, and he didn’t have enough information to know if he could win. What if Hongbin was trained in martial arts? What if Hongbin was faster with the gun than he was? He couldn’t risk their lives on a whim like that, and no matter what he wouldn’t kill anyone, not even Hongbin, no matter how much he wanted to. 

 

He gazed at the cellphone that was left on the counter temporarily. Hongbin had claimed that he was going to make a call, which meant that if Taekwoon was going to do this he didn’t have much time. He analyzed the area before making any rash decision.

 

Hakyeon was on the floor closest to the stairs. If he grabbed Hongbin and rushed down the stairs he’d just be trapping himself, but he wouldn’t have time to go up through the trapdoor… Which meant that they had to stay in the house. Taekwoon considered this quickly. He didn’t know the floorplan for upstairs well enough to risk it, having rushed straight down upon hearing Hakyeon yell when he entered. Downstairs there was a bathroom but there was no lock on the door. That left the two rooms, the cell and the torture room…

 

Both locked only from the outside. If he ran into either one of those Hongbin could trap them. So what was he to do? Suddenly an idea popped into his head… Would it work..? He didn’t know. But it was better than doing nothing, and it was the best idea that he could formulate in just a few seconds. Hongbin passed him, making his way to Hakyeon… He’d turn and go for Taekwoon the moment he saw the other rushing for the phone, so Hakyeon was surely safe. Yet again, a hopeful assumption, but yet again, it was all he had. 

Three… Hongbin was drawing closer, Hakyeon’s eyes still shut in unconsciousness but fluttering, as if he was dreaming. Two… Hongbin’s narrowed his eyes at his pet, angry that Taekwoon had followed him there, intending fully to punish both of them right here and now. One…. And he was up, rushing to the counter with every ounce of training as an athlete working behind his speed and accuracy as he grabbed the device. He didn’t have time to dial a number though as Hongbin spun around, Taekwoon just barely dodging the loud bang of the gun being fired in his direction. The loud noise shook Hakyeon awake, a small whimper escaping closed lips as the pain from his wounds caught up with him before he saw Taekwoon and those pretty chocolate eyes went wide in surprise. 

 

Within a second from waking Taekwoon was scooping him up and darting down the stairs, quickly dropping Hakyeon onto the floor by the bed and whispering in a rush so fast it was barely understandable that he had to get under the bed right now, before Hongbin came. And he did, not understanding how Taekwoon got there, what was happening, but knowing he had to listen if he wanted them to be okay. He could feel it, the tension, the stress, the fear radiating off of the other who he had wanted to get to know for so long. He trusted Taekwoon. Hakyeon held his breath as Hongbin bolted down the stairs milliseconds after he had crawled under the bed, his eyes wide in their own fear as he listened to the conversation going on.

 

Taekwoon had rushed to the cell, entering then immediately spinning and rushing out. It seemed senseless but it was part of the plan that he begged would work. The phone rested in his back pocket… He hoped with everything he had that it wouldn’t fall out. Hongbin was down the stairs, his eyes darting around the room before he noted that Taekwoon was leaving the cell…. “I’ll fucking kill you,” Hongbin snarled as he had his knife in his hand now, tightening his grip around the hilt and storming up to Taekwoon who blocked the cell’s slightly open door. It was too dark to see over his shoulder… and Hongbin seemed to have fallen for his trick. “H… Hakyeon said that if you kill me he’ll kill himself, please, please don’t,” Taekwoon muttered with a trembling voice, blocking the door. The knife trembled in Hongbin’s hand. He was considering it… 

“So that bitch thinks he can threaten me? I won’t let him kill himself, I’ll break both of his arms so he isn’t capable right after I slit your throat.” This man was insane…. “I won’t let you get to him,” Taekwoon said firmly, readying himself. This could go bad… if he didn’t do this right he could die and then Hakyeon would be trapped with this crazy, obsessed, and angry man forever. “If you’re going to kill me then do it, but I won’t move!” 

Hakyeon had tears streaking down his face. What was Taekwoon doing…?! He wanted so badly to crawl out, to apologize to Hongbin on his knees, to swear to be a good slave for the rest of his life and take any punishment as long as he didn’t actually hurt Taekwoon. Taekwoon who meant the world to him… What was he honestly doing…? But the hope in the back of his heart that Taekwoon had a plan and that he couldn’t ruin that plan was present and he sat still, hoping with everything he had that Taekwoon wouldn’t actually die today. 

 

“If you’re so ready to die then die!” Hongbin yelled, slashing with all of his effort and strength towards the chest of the athlete…. who quickly dodged to the side. Taekwoon’s motions were fast and he only sustained a graze across the chest, but Hongbin had put all of his weight into his cut and was now stumbling forward. Taekwoon quickly spun around the man, giving him a strong shove and pushing him straight into the empty cell before slamming the door shut and double locking it. He panted against the wall as Hongbin screamed at Taekwoon, called him terrible names, but he had done it, and despite the blood that was trickling down his stomach from the shallow wound in his chest he felt so relieved.

“Taekwoon…” Hakyeon was slowly coming out from under the bed, carefully stepping up as the two looked at each other. The collared, half-naked dancer with the messy hair and the tear-filled eyes and the prodigy athlete with the sharp tear in his shirt and the panting breath. They stared for a moment and then something clicked… and Hakyeon was rushing to him, the two embracing tightly despite their wounds. Taekwoon stroked Hakyeon’s hair to the nape, to where his collar started, then recycled the motion, hugging Hakyeon tightly with the other hand as the smaller but slightly older boy cried into his chest. Hongbin’s screams of anger, of desperation were drowned out in this moment as the two embraced. It was only broken when Hakyeon’s knees buckled and he was falling into Taekwoon, who quickly caught him and placed him gently on the edge of the bed. What was wrong…? Oh… right… He quickly glanced around the room before promising to be right back and rushing to the bathroom, digging in the cabinets until he found some gauze and hurrying back to an anxious Hakyeon, kneeling down and taking his slashed ankle delicately in one hand. 

 

He began to wrap Hakyeon’s foot gingerly but sturdily, not minding when the other was gripping his hair tightly in pain. Normally when Hakyeon was hurt around his friends, spraining something while dancing, he’d yell and shout and pout, but he was silent, making Taekwoon glance up to see if something was wrong… meeting tear-filled eyes once more. The tears hadn’t stopped falling since Hakyeon had woken up. “It… it’s okay now, Hakyeon. I don’t know what he put you through but we’re going to get you out of here.” And with that he was full on sobbing, pulling Taekwoon up from the work he was doing and hugging him so tightly he fell onto the bed with him, Hakyeon’s legs joining the hug until he was koala hugging Taekwoon so tightly that the athlete could barely breath. “Thank you… Thank you so much, Woonie, Thank you…” Taekwoon blushed at the nickname but smiled, hugging back tightly for a minute before pulling away. “Your neck isn’t bleeding anymore so you should be good temporarily. I’m going to call the police and have this guy arrested. We’ll get you to the hospital and get you fixed up, okay? But first… turn around.” 

Hakyeon glanced at him in confusion before slowly, nervously turning, jumping a little when Taekwoon touched the back of his neck before realizing what he was doing. After a lot of fidgeting, the collar was being slipped off of him. Taekwoon analyzed the ring it had left around Hakyeon’s neck for just a moment before the other was hugging him again, Taekwoon chuckling as he attempted to pull off his jacket amidst the limbs draped over him, managing to get it off and to drape it over Hakyeon. It was a little big on him but Taekwoon figured he was cute like this, with the sleeves covering his hands. Hakyeon zipped it up and waited patiently while Taekwoon dialled the number.

 

“Jungkook, you’re not going to believe this.” The officer sounded a little tired and confused over the phone in his reply. “Believe what..? And whose phone is this?” It made Taekwoon smile when he thought of the fact that the search was over, that Hakyeon was not only alive but safe now too. He put the phone to speaker mode and held it out for Hakyeon. “I’m… Taekwoon… he found me.” There was a pause before a soft, shocked breath of, “No fucking way…” before Jungkook was speaking so fast it was hard to hear him, sounds of things being shoved around in a haste echoing through the phone line. “Please track this phone and find us, the house we’re in is inside a hole in the floor of a shack you’ll find so go in there,” Taekwoon explained before saying goodbye and hanging up. 

“It should take them around ten minutes,” he explained, Hakyeon nodding. Taekwoon would’ve already left this horrid place with him but Hakyeon’s leg wasn’t in walking condition. “Taekwoon…?” Suddenly Hakyeon was standing, limping a little, the other darting up to support him. “Hey, what are you doing?!” Taekwoon asked in a small panic. “You need to sit!” 

“I… have to say goodbye… to mas… to Hongbin.” This was where Taekwoon lost understanding. Didn’t Hakyeon hate that man? Didn’t that man force him to do terrible things and hold him hostage for weeks? But Hakyeon was limping up to the cell door, leaning his back against it and sliding down to the floor. 

“Hongbin,” he mumbled. The other growled out, “You fucking bitch, just wait, I’ll ruin you, I’ll fuck you up so bad you won’t be able to live without me then I’ll…” 

“Hongbin,” Hakyeon slowly muttered again, not seeming affected by the words now with his previous master locked in a cell, the roles reversed. “You’re… insane. And I honestly wish I could hate you, but I’ve never been good at hating anybody. So… I just wanted to say bye. I really hated my time here with you but I still feel a little bad that you’ll be going to prison, so I thought I should at least say this.” There was a pause before the other responded. “I don’t understand, Yeon… I was so good to you, so why…? We’re perfect for each other, you and me. You’re meant to be submissive, it’s just how you are, and I’m the perfect master for you so…”

Taekwoon was fuming at the man’s words but the fact that Hakyeon was so calm kept him sitting on the bed, staying out of the conversation. “I don’t agree. I like to be free. I’m so glad that this stupid collar is off, I’m so glad that I’ll be able to go outside and be with my friends again, live my life how I want. As… as much as you don’t like it, you’re a stranger who kidnapped me and held me hostage. That’s how you should see it, too. Maybe you’ll understand why everyone’s so mad at you that way. Goodbye, Hongbin. I’m glad to be leaving this horrible place finally.” And with that Hakyeon was standing, Taekwoon helping him up the stairs and away from the desperate, begging cries from the cell, the two waiting in the living room until the police arrived. Hakyeon was crying again, but silently, simply holding Taekwoon’s hands with both of his own, leaning against Taekwoon’s shoulder and crying tears of relief and happiness. He was free… he was finally, finally free, right when he had given up… and he was so grateful.

 

As the police noisily made their entrance, dropping through the trapdoor and rushing downstairs, as the paramedics hurried to Taekwoon and Hakyeon, escorting them out, as Jungkook was embracing both of them tightly despite their wounds, saying that even though he didn’t know Hakyeon he was so glad he was safe again, that his friends were waiting for him, Hakyeon cried. He cried harder than before, then harder than that until he could barely breathe he was crying so hard. And as they got into the ambulance, Taekwoon hugged him the whole way to the hospital, carrying him rather than allowing him to go on a stretcher and the paramedics understood, leading him to a room where his wounds could be examined while leading Taekwoon to a room with a window to that one so that he could see Hakyeon while he explained what had happened. 

 

“I.. don’t know,” he said honestly. “There was a chain on the bed, I think he was constantly restrained. He had a collar on, and it made such an indent into his neck I assume it was on the whole time as well. There was a small cell and then a torture room…”

“What?” The psychiatrist there to assist Hakyeon, called by the police after they assumed that Hakyeon had been through horrible things, seemed shocked at this. Taekwoon nodded. “It was crazy… Sex toys, piercing equipment, torture tools, bondage tools, so many things. Hakyeon was strapped to a table in there. I got him out and Hongbin confronted us but I ended up tricking him into locking himself into a cell….” He explained everything, then hurried to Hakyeon’s side once more, being made to wear gloves and a mask since the doctors were stitching up the major wounds, including the one on his ankle. One of the doctors pulled Taekwoon aside and said, “If you hadn’t wrapped his ankle or showed up as soon as you did, he’d probably have bled out by tomorrow morning. We have it under control now, but you saved his life in more ways than one. You should know that.” 

 

He didn’t have time to respond before the door was flinging open and two figures in masks and gloves as well were rushing into the room, tears in their eyes. Hakyeon’s wincing face from the stitches relaxed into shock and happiness as he quickly gasped out, “Wonshik, Sanghyuk!!!” 

“Hakyeon!!” They cried, quickly hugging their friend much to the distaste of the working doctors. Taekwoon watched the three interact so happily with a soft smile, glad that he had managed to find these three, even through such horrid situations. Even though they had fought in the stress leading up to finding Hakyeon, they had succeeded. He was sure he was kicked out after that, that they had their friend and he was politely asked to leave the group now, but to his surprise Wonshik was waving for him to come over and join them. Taekwoon smiled a little brighter, something he so rarely did, before making his way and joining the embrace until the doctors were begging them to back off so they could treat Hakyeon’s wounds. They did so with heavy hesitation, laughing and chattering and crying for hours, even after the doctors had left, even after Hakyeon was all stitched and bandaged up. And everything fell perfectly into place. 

 

\------------------------------------------------------

 

Six months later

 

“He what?!” Hakyeon burst out laughing at Sanghyuk and Wonshik’s shock as Hakyeon was holding up his left hand, a single finger standing out as it was decorated by a shiny silver ring. “He proposed!!” Hakyeon said brightly for the second time within the minute. He was so happy he had to exclaim it to everyone he knew, Jungkook, his best friends, everyone. “He… he took me to the fountain and we played in it for a while and then we were sopping wet and he got down on one knee and he just…!!” 

Wonshik was hugging him tightly, then Sanghyuk. Hakyeon felt so unbelievably happy that it was like he was going to explode. Ever since he had been saved by his future husband and past crush, ever since Hongbin had gone to prison, ever since he had graduated college and got a full time job as a professional dancer and teacher, ever since he and his friends moved into different houses to support their various new lifestyles. Everything was so perfect, so damned perfect. 

 

“When’s the wedding?” Sanghyuk asked cheerfully, pulling away to focus on Hakyeon’s happy eyes, making sure to remember every beautiful moment of all three of his closest friends now ever since once of them was suddenly taken from him. “It’s next month..! He said the cake can be chocolate, Hyukkie!” 

“What, so you can get fat eating the whole thing? I don’t think your company will like that…” And he was being chased around his own house, Hakyeon yelling nags and curses towards him, Sanghyuk laughing so hard he stumbled over his feet every two seconds, and Wonshik dying on the floor of the kitchen at their antics. Everything felt so good, so much like it did before, except this time each one of them appreciated it so much more, knowing how easily it had been taken, being sure to defend their relationships, their joy, to the very end this time. And everything was working out. 

 

Sanghyuk and Wonshik were there for Hakyeon no matter what, whether it was for shopping for suits or for crying over him and Taekwoon when the words “I do” were spoken between them. And Taekwoon was his everything through thick and thin. Everything was perfect, and that was how everything would continue to be, ups and downs happening, but nothing unbearable. All was well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((Happy ending! Thanks so much for reading~ If it’s not too much and you’re bored, go ahead and read the other endings too! I worked hard to make all of them worth reading, so I hope they’re enjoyable. It’s fun to me how a situation can go multiple ways by such a tiny choice as an item being picked up in an impulse decision. Thanks so much for reading and liking this story. Thanks for everything.))


	27. HAKYEON

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ‘I saw you again, I cried  
> Something went terribly wrong’
> 
> VIXX - ERROR

There was no other option in his mind. In this sort of situation there was no way he could think logically, so he threw his decision into his emotions and took a deep breath, possibly one of his last few before he dove in front of Hakyeon right as the knife was slashing down. He felt a warm burn across his chest, squeezing his eyes shut and gasping softly in pain. He was a little scared to look down, wondering how deep the wound was, but he figured he should know if he was dying. Taekwoon slowly glanced towards his chest…. The cut wasn’t that deep and while it was bleeding into his already bloodied shirt, he’d survive. Hongbin’s eyes were wide in shock. Had this stupid kid just risked his life to prevent Hakyeon from getting hurt…? And slowly the man seemed more and more enraged, shoving the knife into a holster at his side and holding the gun to Taekwoon’s temple, the other quickly bringing Hakyeon’s weak form into his lap, trying to focus on the boy’s soft face rather than the gun pointed at his head. 

 

As if Hakyeon knew that Taekwoon was there, he shifted with a small, injured groan before his eyes flickered softly open. They were so dull, full of exhaustion and weakness, his life fading slowly from the loss of blood. If they left now Taekwoon could still get him to a hospital, could still save him. But Taekwoon kept quickly forgetting and then reminding himself that that wasn’t going to happen. Hongbin was out for blood, and as he did with his family constantly, he’d sacrifice himself to make sure Hakyeon didn’t take the brunt of the attack. “T… woon..?” his voice was soft and rough; he’d probably screamed until he could barely speak. “I… I’m here, Hakyeon..” Taekwoon softly whispered, trying to force a smile but obviously seeming too strained because Hakyeon was glancing around the room slowly… locking his eyes on Hongbin with the gun. 

 

“M… master…” Hakyeon suddenly gasped, his hand dragging down his torso to where Taekwoon’s rested on his stomach, gripping the other’s hand tightly. Taekwoon tried to ignore how cold Hakyeon’s hand was, how fragile his grip was, how clammy his skin felt. He needed treatment badly, but he couldn’t prioritize the dancer’s life for that. “What, slut? You’re going to ditch me with him now, is that what you’re going to say? After all I’ve done for you?! After I’ve fed you and cared for you and showed you things?! After I built this fucking house for you, after I set aside my life for you you’re planning on leaving me?!” Hongbin was screaming, his hand beginning to tremble around the gun, tears forming in the man’s fury-filled eyes. “Well you don’t get that choice!! I’ll fucking kill him and ruin you and you’ll never even think to leave me again!” Hongbin snarled, his hand dropping as he began to pace in front of the two who were pressed against the living room’s beige wall, cornered by the man. “I love you, Hakyeon, I love you so fucking much…” Hongbin ranted, obviously trying to keep from crying and not succeeding easily. “When everything fell apart for me it was you that brought me back together. Why is it so wrong that I want to keep you?! Why is it so fucking wrong that you anger me by fighting me?! Why can’t I be jealous, why can’t I be possessive, why not?! What’s so wrong with me that you hate me so much?!” The gun was back, aiming at Hakyeon now, and Taekwoon quickly brought up his knees to curl around the other male to guard him best he could. 

 

“Master, don’t… don’t hurt him…” ‘Master’… Hakyeon was calling this man ‘master’… What all had happened here…? “What, you’re going to demand from me now?! Use my emotions against me?! You’re a fucking brat, you know that?! I’m not falling for that shit anymore! You are MINE, NOT the other way around!” There was a clicking noise from the gun as Hongbin stepped back, holding the weapon with two hands. “But let’s see how much you bitch when you see what I’ll do for you,” Hongbin growled. “How much I love you, how much I want you to be mine, I’ll show you. I’ll show both of you.” His finger was slipping on the trigger and Hakyeon was crying, Taekwoon squeezing his eyes shut reflexively, trying to focus on how Hakyeon felt in his arms before he’d die, before a bang would indicate that he had failed….

 

It never came. 

 

Instead a soft buzzing noise rang out through the room, Hongbin grabbing his phone from the counter and sliding it open, pressing it to his ear without lowering the gun even slightly. There was silence besides a small murmur from the phone indicating that whoever was talking was rambling or ranting, Taekwoon scooping Hakyeon up and swallowing. He’d run to the exit, throw Hakyeon up and order him to run. His own life wasn’t what mattered here. But Hakyeon seemed to know this. “D… don’t… Don’t leave me…” he begged, clinging to Taekwoon’s shirt tightly with trembling fingers. “Y.. you’re planning on leaving me… Please don’t… I’ve wanted this for so long, please let this… this be the last thing that I…” Hakyeon couldn’t continue as his throat grew too hoarse and his tears overwhelmed the last of his voice, Taekwoon hugging him tightly. “No… No, Hakyeon. You’ll be safe. I swear on my life, you’ll be safe. Sanghyuk and Wonshik… We’ve been searching for you. It… it’ll all be okay.” But the other didn’t seemed reassured at all, simply mumbling the same thing over and over. “Taekwoon… please don’t leave me…”

 

There was a slamming noise that caused the taller male to jump, realizing that Hongbin had slammed down the phone. His eyes held the same anger, but somehow he seemed less like an irrational wild animal. Maybe whoever he was on the phone with had talked some sense into him. The man was stepping forward, once, then twice, his gun slowly lowering to point at Hakyeon instead as he seemed to teeter back and forth in his decision of who he wanted to threaten most. “It’s your lucky day, Jung Taekwoon. My friend decided to save your ass.” What? What was he even talking about…? He simply glared and hoped an explanation was coming. 

 

“Don’t worry, you’ll see. Maybe you and Hakyeonnie can have playdates once you’re properly trained. Jaehwan has had a crush on you for a while anyway, we’d follow you two online together for nights straight. I won’t have to deal with your shit and he’ll get a more permanent toy, you keep your life and my pet won’t become even more unruly. It works out for all of us.” Hakyeon suddenly began to cry harder, whispering as low as he could, “Taekwoon, leave me, just go..!” The athlete was shocked at his words; Hadn’t he just been begging him NOT to leave..? “Leave…!! Don’t get stuck in this..! Don’t… don’t be like me, please…!!” But Taekwoon turned to listen to the man who had begun to speak again. 

“Now let’s go with this. You follow every command I make until Jaehwan gets here, and then you follow every command he makes. You mess up once, I shoot him in the right leg. Twice, I’ll shoot him again in the left arm. He only needs one arm for me to have fun with him, and less limbs means less hassle with chains so don’t think I won’t do it.” Hakyeon was trembling in his arms, and Taekwoon found himself filled with a hopelessness that was maddening. He slowly nodded as Hongbin jerked the gun towards Hakyeon in awaits for an answer. He had no choice. 

 

“Put him down and walk over to the couch.” He felt like he and Hakyeon were opposite sides of different magnets, stuck together, unable to separate without a massive amount of force physically pulling them. He didn’t want to let go, he was so scared that if he let go he’d lose Hakyeon forever. But he didn’t have a choice. Taekwoon whispered ‘I’ll save you’ softly into Hakyeon’s head, kissing him on the top of his messy charcoal hair before beginning to pull away. “N… no… Taekwoon don’t do it…” Hakyeon choked out, reaching out to try and grab his hand, it taking every ounce of strength he had to pull his fingers from the tanned ones that begged to stay touching him. Hakyeon tried to stand and hurry after him but the moment he put even slightly any pressure on his left leg he was dropping back to the ground with a loud cry of pain that ached at Taekwoon’s heart. ‘I’m sorry, Hakyeon,’ he whispered in his mind, hoping to convey it through his eyes. ‘I have to do this for you to be safe.’ 

 

He found himself slowly sitting down on the couch, the comfort of the cushions nothing compared to how much he longed to be back with the lone boy on the floor who was curled up and crying, Hongbin’s gun aimed smoothly at his uninjured leg. Hongbin narrowed his eyes a bit at how long it took but didn’t do anything rash; Taekwoon had done as told. “Now wait until Jaehwan arrives. Don’t move from that spot at all or I’ll shoot.” 

 

And thirty minutes passed just like that, Hakyeon crying until he was out of tears then trying to crawl towards Taekwoon until Hongbin was grabbing him and dragging him back to where he previously was. Taekwoon sitting still, wishing he had done something differently, wishing he could do more, wishing and wishing and wishing but it doing nothing to change the reality that he had failed Hakyeon and now they were both lost. Hongbin with his gun firmly aimed at Hakyeon’s leg even as a new person jumped down into the house from the trapdoor.

 

The stranger’s plush lips curled up into a smile, and Taekwoon realized with an uneasy sickness that this was one of his followers on social media that would always like every post he made. The brunette man strode across the room to Taekwoon, gasping in joy that was strange and sickening in the miserable tone of the others around him. “Binnie, it’s really him! It’s really my Woonie!!” Taekwoon found himself bowing his head, Hakyeon starting to try and crawl to him again, only succeeding in irritating an already irritated Hongbin who grabbed him by the collar, a fucking dog collar Taekwoon realized, and held him still. 

 

“This better be worth not killing him,” Hongbin muttered with a sigh. The stranger was beaming, quickly shuffling in his messenger bag for something before pulling out a vial around the size of Taekwoon’s pinky filled to the very top with a soft blue liquid. The man then knelt down in front of Taekwoon, who heavily resisted kicking him away, beating the seemingly unarmed man and holding HIM hostage against Hongbin. For some sick reason, he doubted Hongbin would care much. “I want you to drink this now,” the stranger said as he reached up and pressed his thumb to Taekwoon’s lip. It felt weird, having someone touching him like this, and he shot his head aside…. Just to see Hongbin clicking, the gun actually pressed with the rim of the barrel against Hakyeon’s leg. Hopeless… He felt so fucking hopeless… 

“Aaah, what a good boy,” the stranger cooed as the second time his lips were parted he allowed his jaw to relax, allowed the bitter, water-thin substance to be poured over his tongue, allowed it to wash over his mouth before the man was coaxing him to swallow and he was doing so reluctantly. The effects appeared almost immediately, his next few breaths slowing a bit, the ones after that slowing much more, his eyelids feeling heavy and his mind falling cloudy. Hakyeon’s whimpers were all that kept him conscious for as long as he lasted before he was swaying even sitting down, falling forward into the man’s arms, the man who caressed his hair and pressed a kiss to his forehead before lifting him up into strong arms. “No…” Hakyeon whispered as the stranger was taking Taekwoon away, but the other student was too tired to comprehend what was going to happen, what was happening, simply allowing his fluttering eyes to fully shut, simply melting into this heavying sensation to just go ahead and relax.

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Six Months Later

 

“Good morning, Woonie,” a soft voice sung, Taekwoon groaning softly as he felt the bright lights of the room beaming down on him as usual when he woke up. “Are you ready for breakfast?” He nodded halfheartedly, too sleepy still to really pay much attention to vocally responding but feeling his stomach rumble. He really did get hungry often, but Jaehwan was kind enough to care for that and feed him every time he even slightly showed signs of needing nutrients. 

 

His master crawled out of bed, placing down his empty coffee cup and picking up Taekwoon’s leash that hung on the wall beside his cage, reaching in without hesitation to click it onto his shiny black collar. The cage door opened with some paddling with the lock and Taekwoon crawled out, stretching his arms above his head, feeling the fake black cat tail brush against his back. It never came off, that and the ears, which Jaehwan was considering surgically implanting into his head. He didn’t like the idea of it, but it wasn’t his choice. Honestly it didn’t actually matter to him. Only one thing really did anymore. 

 

One of his two bowls was filled with creamy milk, which he began to lap up the moment it was set down. He was thirsty, the drugs he was given every morning, night, and tantrum making him lose the moisture in his mouth so he’d wake up with a bad taste. Jaehwan would form the drug into a powder by carefully chopping the pills to bits, stirring the dust into the milk. He didn’t even taste it anymore. After ten minutes of a tasty smell and the rumbling of his stomach growing increasingly louder, his second bowl was placed down. Chopped bacon, scrambled eggs… He licked his lips subconsciously and Jaehwan laughed and rustled his hair. He usually was given something more along the lines of oatmeal, something a little cheaper and easier to prepare. Jaehwan must’ve been in a good mood. 

 

The milk was refilled once he finished it off and he quickly found himself slurping at the drink once again. The dryness in his mouth got annoying; it felt like it never went away. He could deal with it, but it didn’t make it any less comfortable. Finally the food was gone and the bowls were lifted and put into the sink, Jaehwan finishing his own food and cleaning the dishes with a soft sigh, Taekwoon staying on the tile floor and watching him quietly. “I’ve prepared a surprise for you, Woonie, since you’ve been so good,” his master smiled, his heart racing. Was it what he thought it was…? He hoped so. His hopes would always fall when the surprise turned out to be just a new collar or a special meal. Jaehwan seemed to have caught onto that though. “We have a playdate with Hongbin and Hakyeon today.” There it was, the joy that only came nowadays with that second name. He’d see Hakyeon today… The thought made him smile, relaxing his tensed muscles and even softly muttering a thank you to Jaehwan, who kissed him in response. 

 

He only got to see Hakyeon maybe once a month, but it always turned out to be his favorite time, the reason why he could endure. Jaehwan was kind but it didn’t decrease the fact that he felt trapped, lost. The two masters being friends made the two pets stuck in a predicament. They no longer were punished for their own behaviors, at least when they did something too bad. No, instead Taekwoon would be shown pictures of Hakyeon with a fresh cut across his scarred tummy after he talked back to Jaehwan, or Taekwoon would go hungry for two days and only know that Hakyeon must’ve angered Hongbin somehow. It was the only reason the two hadn’t tried to escape yet, and honestly, Taekwoon was adjusted to this lifestyle pretty well. 

 

Later that day he felt his heart racing in excitement and slight nervousness as their car pulled up to the Hongbin’s mansion. He had ordered the place to be built under a fake name and persona and shared it with only Hakyeon. As he and Jaehwan lived in a very small but cozy house, it was nice to have some space to run around, though they were always watched by cameras. Hongbin made sure to only have the best security. It was amazing what money could get someone. 

 

Jaehwan led him to the front door by the leash, the bell ringing in a soft, musical chime, swinging open in an instant. Taekwoon rushed forward and he and Hakyeon were embracing each other tightly, breathing each other, warming each other from the frosty February air slipping in from outside, reminding themselves that they were together again at last. Hongbin was behind Hakyeon, a hand on his hip as he whistled softly for his pet, the dancer letting go and limping a little to his master’s side again. 

 

Hakyeon’s ankle had healed… for the most part. Some days it would be perfectly fine, even after he danced for hours to put on a show for the two masters when they were bored and wanted something nice to watch. Some days it would hurt him so bad he couldn’t rise from the ground without collapsing. Today seemed like a combination of right in between, but Taekwoon was satisfied. Despite the limp, his pain seemed to be minimal, and that was all he could ask for. 

 

“Go play, come if we call you,” Hongbin ordered and the two pets nodded, hurrying off into the huge house. It wasn’t even a question as to where they were going, they headed straight down the path they always took, up the stairs (though it took Hakyeon some struggle and some help with his leg), down the hall, and into the room on the left. Hakyeon fell onto the bed and Taekwoon fell on top of him, kissing him boldly and deeply to show him just how much he missed him, his hands on either side of the other’s head. When he pulled away they were both panting, Taekwoon carding his fingers through Hakyeon’s freshly styled hair. 

“Blonde… I like it,” he said with a soft smile, Hakyeon’s cheeks flushing a little before he nodded. “Master was getting tired of the red.” Taekwoon nodded, laying on his side and pulling Hakyeon up to his chest, curling his arms around the other as they simply caught up. It had been a month after all. “Isn’t your master tired of your hair yet? It’s been brown for a few months now…” He shook his head a little. “He thinks it goes good with the fur.” Hakyeon remembered this, reaching over and delicately playing with Taekwoon’s fake tail, the other’s face scrunching up a little as the plug that held it to his backside shifted a bit inside of him at the movement. “I agree. It must get tiring always having to wear this though… Does he ever let you take it off?” Taekwoon sighed, shaking his head faintly. “I’m used to it. And no… not really. The fur dries quickly so I shower with it.” 

“Not even for sex?” Hakyeon’s innocent eyes were blinking up at him curiously. For them that was the most casual question in the world. Taekwoon shook his head once more. “He just pushes in with it.” Hakyeon winced a little before deciding to change the topic, curling up even closer to Taekwoon. “I missed you,” he said calmly, cheerfully. The brunette couldn’t help but chuckle a little at how honest that was, how happy it made him that Hakyeon was here with him and in his arms once more. “I missed you too… I missed you so, so much…” 

 

Five minutes later their deep kiss and wandering hands were broken by Jaehwan calling for them. Hakyeon whimpered a little as Taekwoon pulled away, a small string of saliva connecting their lips before breaking at the distance. “Come on,” Taekwoon softly muttered, rising to his feet, helping Hakyeon do the same. “Can you walk well?” The other took a few test steps before nodding, then they hurried down the stairs.

 

An hour later Hakyeon was in Hongbin’s lap, his face resting against the other’s chest as he seemed to be fast asleep, the movie the two were watching having bored him after seeing it for the seventeenth time; according to Hakyeon this was Hongbin’s favorite movie and he’d play it sometimes twice a night. He had the dialogue memorized by heart and could mock it in a perfect way that would make Taekwoon laugh so hard he’d cry a little, but would never do it in front of Hongbin. They couldn’t do much in front of their masters, but that was fine. They were happy just being with each other again. 

 

Taekwoon had his head between Jaehwan’s legs, the other’s quiet grunts urging him on as long fingers strolled through his brunette hair, brushing against the cat ear headband he always wore then recycling back around until they were tightening almost painfully on his bangs and he was swallowing his master’s release with experience he had gained well over the past six months. The first playdate the two had Hakyeon teach him tips, and watching the other being fucked in front of him made him so angry he had to be taken away. Now it was so casual it was almost funny, how natural their situation felt. Hongbin placed a rule down that Taekwoon couldn’t have sex with Hakyeon, Hakyeon who was his, but that didn’t exclude touching, which they did often in that same guest bedroom that was never occupied and only existed to take up space in the house and to be their room of freedom together. And Taekwoon was satisfied with what he could have, knowing fully, trusting fully that Hakyeon meant it when he said that he would only ever love Taekwoon. Because he felt the same way. His master was just that… his master. But Hakyeon was his world, his sun and his moon, his stars and his sky, his entire universe. 

 

They said their goodbyes four hours later, Taekwoon slowly parting lips with Hakyeon who was desperate for one last touch, still somewhat traumatized from the intense day when Taekwoon had become Jaehwan’s pet. He’d always cry when Taekwoon left, always would have to pretend that Hongbin’s overprotective and possessive attempts to comfort him were working even though they weren’t. “I’ll see you next visit,” Taekwoon whispered softly into Hakyeon’s fluffy blonde hair, the other hiding his face against Taekwoon’s chest. “Okay…” the dancer whispered, though it was obvious he was still upset, still anxious to part ways once more. “Woonie..?” 

“Hm?” There wasn’t even a moment of hesitation. “I love you.” Taekwoon smiled, sighing and inhaling Hakyeon’s comforting, sweet scent, being sure to remember it to cherish over the next month until they’d have another day to meet. “I love you too… Be good, okay?” And Hakyeon was smiling even though his eyes were a little shimmery with worrisome tears that wanted to form. “Mhm. You too.” 

 

As he climbed into the passenger seat, Jaehwan gave Taekwoon a deep kiss, something the masters would always do after seeing their pets interact as if they were jealous of how close Taekwoon and Hakyeon were despite how little time they had together. And Taekwoon kissed back fully without much care for emotion, simply focusing on what he always focused on when Hakyeon wasn’t around… Pleasing his master. “Woonie? I love you.”He leaned back into his seat, stared up at the road as the signs flew past their quickly moving car. 

 

“Thank you, master.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is one of the bad endings, and it turned out being somewhat bittersweet. But here you go, for everyone who picked the ‘Hakyeon’ ending~ I hope you enjoyed it and the rest of this story. Please go read the other endings now if you feel up to it~ Either way, this is goodbye for this story if you’re stopping here. Thank you so much for your love and support.Thanks so much for everything. Take care.


End file.
